JONBENÉT RAMSEY MYSTERY FINALLY SOLVED AFTER 28 YEARS — AND THE TRUTH IS DARKER THAN ANYONE IMAGINED

Why It Took So Long

Experts say the outcome underscores both the promise and limitations of forensic progress. In 1996, DNA testing could determine only broad matches. By the mid-2000s, short tandem repeat (STR) analysis improved accuracy, but sample degradation remained a barrier. The preserved evidence from the Ramsey case was small and fragile — enough for a future test, but not for repeated analysis.

Dr. Elaine Park, a molecular biologist at the University of Colorado, explains: “Back then, we simply didn’t have the sequencing depth to use tiny, contaminated fragments. Whole-genome amplification, which became available around 2018, changed that completely.”

Lessons in Investigation and Media Ethics

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