JonBenet Ramsey's murder remains unsolved

"There is a killer on the loose."
Patsy Ramsey, victim's mother

Her sweet faced has smiled out at Americans from countless newspaper and magazine covers since 6-year-old JonBenet Ramsey was found strangled in the basement of her parents' home in Boulder, Colorado.

The blond, blue-eyed beauty pageant queen was found beaten and strangled the day after Christmas 1996, but her murder remains unsolved and continues to draw the nation's attention.

Boulder's lead police investigator, Cmdr. Mark Beckner, recently said JonBenet's parents, John and Patsy Ramsey, "remain under an umbrella of suspicion." The Ramseys have proclaimed their innocence.

It was John Ramsey who found his daughter's body in the basement of the family's million-dollar home on December 26, 1996 -- a day after she had gotten a bicycle for Christmas and eight hours after his wife said she found a ransom note demanding $118,000.

Investigators expressed the belief that the note was bogus because JonBenet's body was found in the house where she was last seen, suggesting she had not been kidnapped.

John Ramsey was ruled out as the author of the note after submitting a handwriting sample. Patsy Ramsey submitted six handwriting samples, and investigators said they were inconclusive.

As Boulder police continued to search for clues in the case, the Ramseys launched their own investigation, running newspaper advertisements and distributing fliers describing what they believed was a possible profile of the killer.

Asked recently if JonBenet's murder will ever be solved, Beckner said, "I am confident it will be. ... We are making progress and we are moving forward."