The chilling unsolved murder of six-year-old JonBenét Ramsey is one of the most infamous true crime stories to ever come out of the state of Colorado.

At the time of her death, JonBenét lived in Boulder with her parents, Patricia and John, and her older brother, Burke.

JonBenét went missing 25 years ago, on December 26, 1996. Her disappearance was first noticed after her mother, Patricia Ramsey, woke up to make coffee around 5:30 AM and reportedly found a 3-page ransom note on the staircase.

The note, signed by “a foreign faction,” demanded $118,000 for the safe return of JonBenét.

When Patricia found that her daughter was not in bed as the note suggested, she called 911.

Later that day, JonBenét’s beaten body was discovered in the basement of the family’s home by her father. Her hands were tied together, her mouth was taped shut, and her skull was fractured. Strangulation was ultimately decided to be the cause of death by the Boulder County Coroner’s Office.

Despite 25 years of effort by the Boulder Police Department and the Colorado Bureau of Investigations (CBI), the killer has never been identified.

The grisly nature of her death, widespread media coverage, evolving suspect theories, and a number of unanswered questions have kept the Ramsey case in national headlines ever since.

Here are a few of the most popular theories regarding what happened to the beauty pageant queen on December 26, 1996.

THEORY 1: The parents did it

In the court of public opinion, Patricia and John Ramsey have always been common suspects in JonBenét Ramsey case.

Theorists believe that several pieces of evidence point to the parent’s as having some sort of involvement.

First, the paper used to write the ransom note was later found to be from Patricia’s own notepad. Second, the garrote tied around the JonBenét’s neck was fashioned from one of Patricia’s paintbrushes. And third, in the ransom note, the “kidnapper” demanded the exact amount of money that John had received as a Christmas bonus that year.

In a 2000 interview with Larry King, former Boulder Police Detective Steve Thomas recalled leaving the department because of this case.

“Because I felt that Patsy [Patricia] is involved in this death, in this tragedy, and I felt that it had become such a debacle and was going nowhere. Out of frustration, I left the case and police work,” Thomas said.

Later in the interview, Thomas shares his own theory about what happened to JonBenét.

“I think there was a toileting issue that night that has been dismissed and underplayed,” Thomas said.

He went on to suggest that in a fit of rage over JonBenét wetting her bed, which apparently happened often, Patricia killed her.

“Instead of making a right turn, she made a left turn and covered this up. It’s not unlike 11,000 other children that have been murdered in this country or killed feloniously by parents in the last 20 years,” Thomas said.

The two were formally exonerated of the crime by DNA evidence in 2008, but nonetheless, rumors continue to swirl.

THEORY 2: The brother did it

Another popular theory suggests that on the night of JonBenét’s death, brother Burke Ramsey, nine at the time, had gotten out of his bed for a bowl of pineapple. When JonBenét heard him get up, she followed him to the kitchen. According to the theory, when she stole a piece of pineapple from Burke, he lost his temper.

The theory especially gained traction in 2016 when a CBS Docuseries about the case mentioned that the child was found to have a piece of partially digested pineapple in her intestines after her death.

One woman, claiming to be a friend to the Ramsey family, reported to The Sun that the boy had been known for having emotional outbursts.

Burke Ramsey was formally exonerated using DNA evidence in 2008, alongside his parents.

THEORY 3: The teacher did it

In 2006, former teacher John Mark Karr confessed to the murder of JonBenét Ramsey.

In a series of emails to a University of Colorado professor, Karr described in graphic detail that he had accidentally killed the girl after kidnapping her from her bed.

Karr was evading several charges of possession of child pornography in Thailand at the time of the confession.

DNA evidence later exonerated Karr from the murder, along with the alibi that he was with his family in Atlanta for Christmas at time the crime was committed.

THEORY 4: Michael Helgoth did it

Boulder auto salvage worker, Michael Helgoth, was named as the potential killer by a private investigator hired by the Ramsey family.

The investigator’s theory suggests that Helgoth killed the child in retaliation for some sort of property dispute he was allegedly involved in with the Ramseys.

Two months after the murder, a press conference by the Boulder District Attorney’s Office announced that they were investigating a new suspect.

Helgoth committed suicide the next day. He has since been cleared by DNA evidence.

In conclusion:

While many theories exist, no suspects are being publicly pursued at this time. Many believe the JonBenét Ramsey will go unsolved forever.

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