JonBenet Ramsey's father unveils petition pressing Colorado governor to advance daughter's murder case

FIRST ON FOX: LAS VEGAS - John Ramsey, the father of murdered JonBenet Ramsey, on Saturday announced the start of a petition asking Colorado Gov. Jared Polis to allow an independent agency to conduct DNA testing in the case rather than the Boulder Police Department (BPD).

"It's a petition to hopefully get the state of Colorado to intervene and have the items from the crime scene that could be tested for DNA that haven't been tested," Ramsey told Fox News Digital at the CrimeCon 2022 convention in Las Vegas on Saturday. "It's going to take a lot of help to get that moving again. But, you know, the government is very reactive, and we're talking about politicians, and we want them to do the right thing."

If Colorado officials "know there's enough people behind" the petition "asking them to do the right thing, they'll do it," Ramsey said.

JONBENET RAMSEY, 6, FOUND DEAD 25 YEARS AGO; TRAGIC MURDER CASE REMAINS UNSOLVED

"It's a cold case, and they don't call it a cold case, but it is for all intents and purposes a cold case," Ramsey said. "Why they won't test the DNA samples that should be tested for DNA, I don't know. It's baffling."

JonBenet's mother reported her missing to police when she was 6 years old on the morning of Dec. 26, 1996, after finding a lengthy ransom note demanding $118,000 in exchange for JonBenet. John Ramsey found her body later that same day in the basement of her home.

An autopsy revealed that JonBenet died of strangulation and a blow to the head. The Boulder City Medical Examiner reported an 8 1/2-inch fracture on her skull. Authorities have not convicted any suspects in the case.

Ramsey and investigative journalist Paula Woodward, author of "We Have Your Daughter," spoke Saturday afternoon at the conference featuring thousands of guests and speakers ranging from crime victims to high-profile law enforcement figures and scientists.

"The Boulder police were totally inexperienced, and I don't blame them for that," Ramsey said during the conference. "I fault them for not accepting help from people who knew what they were doing."

Ramsey criticized the department for its "arrogance," "pride," "ego" and inexperience at the time his daughter was killed. He went on to make the case that child murders should be investigated as federal crimes.

"We can't let the murder of a child be left up to local police," Ramsey said, adding that the BPD are "just big enough that they think they know everything and they don't."

BPD said in a December 2021 statement marking the 25-year anniversary of JonBenet's homicide that they have processed more than 1,500 pieces of evidence and "reviewed or investigated more than 21,016 tips, letters and emails."

BPD also said in its statement that due to advances in DNA technology, "multiple suspects have been run through the system to check for matches" and that investigators have updated more than "750 reference samples with the latest DNA technology."

"As the Department continues to use new technology to enhance the investigation, it is actively reviewing genetic DNA testing processes to see if those can be applied to this case moving forward," BPD said at the time.

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The new petition, which garnered more than 600 signatures immediately after Ramsey's speech, appeals to Polis to use his "power" to intervene in the case and allow for an independent DNA analysis. 

"You have the power," the petition reads. "Given the lack of progress by the Boulder Police, we the undersigned petitioners ask you to move DNA decisions in this case away from the BPD to an independent agency so that JonBenét has a last chance at the justice she deserves."

Boulder Police and the office of Gov. Polis did not immediately respond to Fox News' request for comment.