JonBenet Ramsey: What Really Happened?

Feature-length documentary selected to premiere with the 2021 launch of streamer Discovery+.

“Twenty-four years after JonBenet Ramsey’s death, her family still has questions. A new documentary aims to reignite the search for answers.”

USA TODAY

DIRECTOR

ARROW MEDIA: FEATURE-LENGTH DOCUMENTARY, DISCOVERY

“The journey to find the truth unfolds through the narration of Lou Smit. Smit’s voice is heard in previously unreleased audio tapes as he works tirelessly to find evidence and uncover the truth, even as others on the case worked against him.”

USA TODAY

This film explores legendary homicide detective Lou Smit’s investigation into one of America’s most perplexing murder cases, the brutal killing of six-year-old beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey in her Colorado home on Christmas night 1996.

Police immediately suspected her parents, John and Patsy Ramsey, of the murder and the media followed their lead. Using Smit’s previously unheard audio diaries, the film charts how he meticulously tested each piece of evidence, debunked false theories and uncovered clues that drove the case in a completely new direction. 

Smit’s tireless work on the case helped to clear the Ramseys. DNA not belonging to family members was found on JonBenet’s clothing. Her father and brother, John Andrew, and members of Smit’s family believe that with advances in DNA technology it is now possible to obtain a match and find JonBenet’s killer.