Scientist hired by Ramseys allowed to witness DNA tests

Information sought from family's investigators

March 20, 1997
Web posted at: 9:20 p.m. EST

BOULDER, Colorado (CNN) -- The parents of slain Colorado beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey will be able to have their own representative present when physical evidence undergoes DNA testing at a Maryland laboratory.

At a news briefing Thursday afternoon, Kelvin McNeill, a spokesman for the city of Boulder, said prosecutors believe John and Patricia Ramsey have "appropriate standing" to have a representative present during the tests.

He also acknowledged for the first time that authorities trying to solve the murder have met with a team of private investigators hired by the Ramsey family.

"We are talking to people that we think may have information which is of relevance in this case," McNeill said. "They may be at a point where they have some information which may be relevant. So we talked to them."

The body of 6-year-old JonBenet Ramsey was found in the basement of the family's Boulder mansion on December 26, just hours after Patricia Ramsey reported finding a ransom note on a stairway in the house. The girl had been strangled.

Neither John nor Patricia Ramsey has ever been labeled a suspect in the case. But police have clearly been focusing attention on the couple, who have yet to agree to be formally interviewed by police.

Allowing observer at tests is unusual

Earlier this month, Cellmark Labs in Maryland began conducting DNA analysis on evidence collected in the case.

The decision to allow a Ramsey representative into the lab is considered unusual because, under a U.S. Supreme Court ruling, only defendants charged in criminal cases have the right to observe forensic testing.

McNeill declined to elaborate on what he meant by "appropriate standing." Boulder County District Attorney Alex Hunter said the offer was "not so much law as protocol."

Attorneys representing the family have given authorities the name of a scientist they would like to observe the tests, Hunter said.

Arrest may be months away

In the three months since the murder, the snow has melted, spring has arrived in the Rockies and police have traveled to six states outside Colorado, interviewing more than 170 people.

Still, no suspect has been named, and Boulder Police Chief Tom Koby, in an interview with a Denver newspaper, said an arrest may still be months away.

In his weekly briefing Thursday, McNeill insisted the investigation is "on track and moving forward." And the district attorney reiterated that Boulder investigators are not going to rush the process.

"I know that it troubles people that it's not resolved yet, but the last thing we're going to do is to rush to some fast judgment to satisfy people who may not understand what our duty is," Hunter said.

Correspondent Brian Cabell contributed to this report.

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