ATLANTA (CNN) -- Seven years after the 6-year-old JonBenet Ramsey's body was
found strangled and beaten in the basement of her parents' home in
Boulder, Colorado, DNA found in a blood stain on the beauty queen's
underwear has been given to the FBI in a possible step toward identifying
her killer, the family lawyer told CNN Friday.
L. Lyn Wood, an attorney for the family in Atlanta, where the Ramseys now
live, said he was told about the development recently by Mary Keenan, the
Boulder district attorney, who took control of the case last December
from the Boulder Police Department.
"The DNA was never pursued by the Boulder PD in terms of tying to get it into
any state or national databank," Wood said.
One of the 2 drops of blood that were on the garment was tested early in the
investigation, but was not of sufficient quality to be placed in data
banks. But the DNA from the second spot is "of sufficient quality" to be
added to the agency's Combined DNA Index System, Wood said.
"They had to spend some time, probably months, to get that DNA sample up to
the qualifications to be submitted to the national databank," Wood said.
Earlier blood tests showed the sample was from a male who was unrelated to
the Ramseys, said Wood, who added that neither he nor the Ramseys planned
to suggest that the DNA of anyone in particular be compared with the
sample.
"We don't feel like we have to tell them who to test. We feel like they will
take all the necessary steps to thoroughly investigate all possible
suspects and credible leads."
Bill Nagel, who reports to Keenan, said in a telephone interview that he
would not comment. "It's been our policy for a good while not to respond
to inquiries about the Ramsey case," he said. "That's something we just
stick to consistently."
Wood said the Boulder police had not properly pursued the lead, because they
felt a Ramsey household member carried out the crime. "They actually
spent money and time trying to come up with an innocent explanation for
the presence of that DNA," he said. "Any objective investigation into
this child's murder would have focused on DNA."
A spokeswoman for the Boulder police did not immediately return a call.