True Crime
Who Were JonBenet Ramsey’s Siblings? She Had 2 Sisters and 2 Brothers: Inside Her Family
The mystery of child pageant queen JonBenét Ramsey’s death has intrigued the true crime world since 1996 and has become the subject of multiple documentaries, including Netflix’s Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey? Though JonBenét’s brother Burke Ramsey is most known in connection with the case, it was her half-brother, John Andrew Ramsey, who appeared in Cold Case, which dropped on the streaming service on November 25, 2024. Including Burke and John Andrew, JonBenét had four siblings.
Who Is JonBenet Ramsey’s Brother Burke Ramsey?
Burke, born in 1987, is the oldest child of John Bennett Ramsey and the late Patricia “Patsy” Ramsey (who died in 2006). He is also JonBenét’s only full sibling.
Burke was 9 years old when JonBenét was killed at 6 years old in her family’s Boulder, Colorado, home on the night of December 25, 1996. She was found dead in the home’s basement about seven hours after she was reported missing. JonBenét had suffered a skull fracture and strangulation by a garrote, and it was discovered that she had been sexually assaulted. Her death was ruled a homicide.
Burke and his parents were the only known people home on the night of JonBenét’s death. Though it was initially suspected that Patsy and John had covered up her death and staged the body, the police and district attorney said that Burke was not a suspect. John, Patsy and Burke have maintained their innocence in the case over the years.
JonBenét’s older brother spoke out in his first and only public interview since her death in 2016. He admitted on Dr. Phil that he knows some people believe he or his parents killed his sister. Burke said he thinks a “pedophile from the pageant circuit” may have entered their home while the family was out on Christmas Day and killed JonBenét.
Burke sued Dr. Werner Spitz and others for $150 million after a September 2016 CBS special titled The Case Of: JonBenét Ramsey accused him of accidentally killing his sister with a flashlight. He also sued CBS for $750 million. Burke and CBS settled the lawsuit in 2019, although the details were not shared, according to Associated Press.
Who Was JonBenet Ramsey’s Sister Elizabeth Ramsey?
Before he married Patsy, John was married to first wife Lucinda Lou Pasch. Their eldest daughter, Elizabeth Ramsey, was killed at age 22 in a car accident on January 8, 1992. Elizabeth’s boyfriend was driving his 1986 BMW and lost control on the wet road, causing him to swerve and collide with a truck. He was also killed in the crash. JonBenét was 2 years old at the time of her half-sister’s death.
Who Is JonBenet Ramsey’s Sister Melinda Ramsey?
John and Lucinda’s daughter Melinda Ramsey has mostly remained out of the spotlight since JonBenét’s murder. She was with brother John Andrew in Atlanta spending Christmas with their mother at the time of her half-sister’s death. The pair found out JonBenét was missing when they were on a flight to spend the rest of the holiday with John, Patsy and their half-siblings in Michigan at the family’s vacation home. John Andrew told ABC News’ 20/20 in 2021 that he and Melinda changed their travel plans to fly to Boulder as soon as they heard the news.
“I think I was paged or I was handed a note by one of the flight attendants saying that I needed to call home,” he said. “I yelled and screamed and kicked to get on the airplane to Denver … I remember just thinking and processing it all.”
Who Is JonBenet Ramsey’s Brother John Andrew Ramsey?
John Andrew is the youngest of John and Lucinda’s three kids. He has been outspoken about JonBenét’s case since her death.
“We have been in the practice of ruling people out based on DNA. And if we take what the police say at face value that the DNA in the case isn’t as valuable or significant as we think then we have been ruling people out for the wrong reasons. Everyone should be back on the table,” he said in Cold Case. “The police have never ruled out John and Patsy based solely on this DNA. So how do you rule anyone out based solely on this DNA? You have to go deeper.”
