The day after Christmas Day, 1969, sent a chill down the nation’s spine. While most children were enjoying their new presents and spending the holiday season with their families, the Ramseys were in shock following the murder of their daughter.

A charismatic and beautiful young girl, JonBenét Ramsey’s life was cut short at the age of six when her body was discovered in the family’s home basement.

It was a haunting case, initially presenting itself as a loving family struck with tragedy when their little girl was the victim of a murder on Christmas Day.

From an initial glance, the family seemed to have a cookie-cutter dynamic. Their daughter’s presence in the spotlight and beauty pageant scene was what sparked the public’s interest in solving the case.

The most widely spread theory surrounding the crime is quite controversial. Despite an active investigation for their daughter’s death, the Ramseys were also juggling constant judgment and harassment from those who hypothesized that they were covering up the truth.

To specify, the theory revolves around Ramsey’s brother, Burke Ramsey, who was nine years old at the time of his sister’s death. Although he was not a legitimate suspect in the investigation, those who have looked into the murder believe he should have been.

Due to their son’s troubled history of violence and outbursts, the Ramseys were faced with the accusation of protecting their son’s involvement in the murder from people who believed that Burke Ramsey had killed his little sister after losing his temper.

One potential narrative is that JonBenét had entered the kitchen late at night and stolen a piece of the pineapple that her brother had been eating. Burke was provoked by this, and took his anger out by hitting JonBenét in the head with a flashlight, accidentally killing her.

Ramsey suffered from traumatic brain injuries that knocked her unconscious, but autopsies revealed that approximately 45 minutes to two hours after the initial strike, she was ultimately strangled to death.

Following this incident, the theory continues to say that the Ramseys rushed to forge a ransom note, create a cover-up story, and prepare JonBenét’s body in a manner that made it appear as though she had been kidnapped by someone outside of the home in an attempt to keep their young son from being incriminated.

These theories stem from the way that the Ramseys handled the situation. Once questioning began, they revealed that an intruder had kidnapped their child and left a ransom note, but refused to cooperate afterward and requested a lawyer.

When her death was publicized, it did not take long for the media to begin to take the investigation into its own hands.

During her life, JonBenét Ramsey was a child beauty pageant queen. Her presence in the public spotlight made it incredibly easy for people to take her death as a puzzle that needed to be solved rather than a sensitive topic for a grieving family.

As technology advances and various investigations occur, it has been said by prosecutors that the possibility of a foreign intruder is far more likely than the idea that the Ramseys were involved in the crime.

Still, people following the case picked apart every piece of information that they possibly could in order to conjure up the most scandalous story.

The insensitive manner in which the public used the case to isolate and incriminate a family shows that society holds its hunger for entertainment far closer than its sense of empathy.

Ramsey’s murder remains a mystery to this day. Although evidence has been presented, there has been no solid conclusion as to who is responsible for the homicide.

New information on the cold case of JonBenét Ramsey is still coming to light now. It is a timeless case that will always linger above the heads of everyone involved.