Ever since it was announced that numerous documentaries would come out centered around JonBenét Ramsey's death, it felt inevitable that new details and theories would come out of the woodwork, which is exactly what seems to be happening during the final installation of CBS' miniseries The Case Of: JonBenét Ramsey . In the episode that aired on Sept. 19, criminalist Henry Lee claimed that it's technically possible that the DNA found in JonBenét’s underwear and on another item of clothing did not necessarily come from the killer — a theory that the Ramseys' attorney has disputed on Burke's behalf in a statement to Bustle. According to CBS, there were "two spots of JonBenet's blood found on the underwear she was wearing the night of the murder. Mixed in with that blood is the DNA of an unknown person," and that person was male. Update: CBS gave Bustle the following statement on the series: "'The Case of: JonBenét Ramsey' was meticulously and responsibly researched, and its information was responsibly presented. CBS stands by the broadcast in every regard."
Earlier: As reported by NBC, the DNA found on JonBenét's underwear matched DNA found on another piece of closing and testing of that DNA cleared everyone in the Ramsey family of any involvement in JonBenét's murder in 2008. The Ramseys have always maintained their innocence and their attorney, Lin Wood, told Bustle in a statement on behalf of Burke:
"In its desire to match or surpass the ratings and profits achieved by other networks in recent true crime series, CBS juxtaposed lies, misrepresentations, distortions and omissions with very few grains of truth to falsely accuse Burke Ramsey of causing JonBenét’s death in its docuseries The Case of: JonBenét Ramsey. CBS intentionally avoided the truth of the mass of evidence that (1) led the Boulder District Attorney and Boulder Police Department to publicly and officially confirm in May of 1999 that Burke Ramsey was not a suspect or even a possible suspect; (2) supported the 2003 finding by Georgia Federal Judge Julie Carnes that "abundant evidence" supported assertions by JonBenét's parents, "that an intruder entered their home at some point during the night of Dec. 25, 1996, and killed their daughter”; and (3) led the Boulder District Attorney to publicly exonerate the Ramsey Family in 2008 based on conclusive DNA evidence.
The accusations of the CBS so-called “experts” lack substantial evidentiary support and contradict the conclusions reached by legitimate law enforcement authorities familiar with the evidence developed in the case. CBS’ false and unprofessional attacks on this young man are disgusting and revolting.
No fair-minded person can condone this false and heinous television attack by CBS on this young man for ratings and profits. Burke Ramsey shall seek redress against CBS for its outrageous accusations in a court of law where he successfully acquitted himself over 15 years ago in libel actions filed against the tabloid Star Magazine, the New York Post and Court TV for publishing similar false accusations."
In The Case Of, Lee claims that the DNA found in JonBenét's underwear could've been "transferred DNA" that ended up there in some way unrelated to the murder. To test this theory, Lee demonstrated how DNA can be found on any pair of underwear, even when it's straight out of the package you purchase it in and has not been touched by anyone. Lee also claimed that the crime might not have actually involved sexual assault, though as The Denver Post reported, there was evidence of sexual assault in JonBenét's autopsy. Despite Lee's experiment, nothing has been proven — especially when you consider that is likely that the actual underwear JonBenét was wearing had been worn previously and therefore washed, and potentially less likely to contain DNA from the manufacturing process than the pair that Lee tested straight out of the package.
Just as many people have in the two decades since JonBenét's murder, Lee presented a new theory about the DNA evidence found, and it seems the more we learn about the case, the more claims are made about what could've happened. After watching hours of analysis, it is important to remember that like any other theory, Lee's has not been proven, and the Ramseys remain cleared of any suspicion of involvement in JonBenét's death and as Wood's statement on Burke's behalf shows, they dispute Lee's claims.
