John & Barbara Fernie Were Friends Of The Ramseys

As the 20th anniversary of JonBenét Ramsey's death approaches, a number of new specials are hitting the airwaves. On Sept. 16, NBC's Dateline will air “Who Killed JonBenét?” and then the premiere of CBS' miniseries The Case Of: JonBenét Ramsey will air just two days later. They will surely go over just what happened at the Ramsey household the day that JonBenét went missing and was later found dead. In addition to the family, some of the Ramsey family's closer friends were also present that day. So, you might find yourself wondering, where are John and Barbara Fernie now?

But first off, just how was the couple involved in the case? They, along with the Whites, were called over to the Ramsey household early Dec. 26, 1996. According to the Boulder local paper, The Daily Camera, when the police asked the Ramseys to search the house again, John Fernie headed upstairs while Fleet White and John Ramsey went to the basement — the place where JonBenét's body was found. As the paper reported in 2001, "The Fernies have kept a much lower profile" than the Whites. "They don't talk to reporters and are thought to still be supportive of John and Patsy Ramsey," the paper added.

Though they weren't featured as heavily in media coverage, they still had to testify during the later grand jury. According to an article by Charlie Brennan for the Scripps Howard News Service, the Fernies testified in December 1998. The article also noted that they allegedly arrived to the Ramsey home more than one hour before the first detective did.

Even today, the Fernies have stayed mum on the Ramsey case, but there are some clues online as to where they are today. After years of working in real estate, John Fernie opened his own company in 2004, according to his LinkedIn profile. He also sits on the board of the Adult Congenital Heart Association.

Meanwhile his wife Barbara is a chaplain at the Good Samaritan Medical Center in Lafayette, Colorado — not far from Boulder. Her profile on their website states that she and her husband, John, still attend St. John's Episcopal Church, which the Ramseys also attended at the time of JonBenét's death. Barbara works in the children's ministry there. In addition to her roles at the church and hospital, she is on the advisory board of Blue Sky Bridge, a nonprofit for abused children and their families.

Given their long history of silence regarding JonBenét, it's unlikely they'll be featured in the spotlight of these new series that center in on one of the biggest crimes of the decade.