John and Patsy Ramsey’s Ex Housekeeper Linda Hoffman Pugh, Key Figure in JonBenet Murder Case, Dead at 82

Linda Hoffman-Pugh, a former housekeeper for JonBenét Ramsey‘s family, has died at the age of 82.

Hoffman-Pugh was working for the family when JonBenét was tragically murdered at just 6 years old on Christmas Day in 1996. She was later considered a person of interest in the case before being cleared by authorities.

During a 1999 interview with The Daily Camera, Hoffman-Pugh admitted she was horrified to learn that JonBenét’s mom, Patsy Ramsey, was the person who initially named her as a possible suspect.

“Why would she think I’d do something like that and then invite me to the memorial service?” Hoffman-Pugh asked at the time. “Why would she hug me at the service?”

Hoffman-Pugh ultimately went on to sue the Ramseys over claims made in their book, The Death of Innocence: The Untold Story of JonBenét’s Murder and How its Exploitation Compromised the Pursuit of Truth. She alleged that they unfairly implied she may have played a role in JonBenét’s death. Her lawsuit was dismissed by the federal court, and that dismissal was upheld on appeal.

Several people initially suspected the beauty queen’s parents of being involved in her death.

Both John and Patsy, along with JonBenét’s older brother, Burke, were eventually cleared, but her murder remains unsolved almost 30 years later.