Melissa McCarthy was asked who she thinks killed JonBenét Ramsey as she gets set to play the little girl’s mum Patsy in a new Netflix drama.
McCarthy is best-known for her comedic work, appearing in the likes of Bridesmaids, Tammy and The Heat, but the 56-year-old is gearing up to take on a far more dramatic role for The Murder of JonBenét Ramsey.
JonBenét was just six years old when she was found beaten and bound in the basement of her family home in Boulder, Colorado on Boxing Day in 1996.
Near the body, the family discovered a ransom note demanding $118,000 for JonBenét’s return, pointing towards a kidnapping that had gone wrong.
The autopsy found that JonBenét had died of asphyxia by strangulation associated with craniocerebral trauma, and the case was ruled a homicide.
However, despite a high-profile and intense police investigation, the killer has never been found.
The death of JonBenét is one of true crime’s most enduring mysteries with several conflicting theories about what happened to the youngster.
In an upcoming drama series, Netflix is set to explore the case with McCarthy playing JonBenét’s mum Patsy alongside Clive Owen as dad John.
In an interview with Variety, McCarthy shared her thoughts on the infamous cold case.
“Just my personal feeling. My heart says no one in the family could have done that,” she said.
“I don’t have the ability, or probably the right, to say that, but that’s what my gut says. Which I probably am not supposed to say.
“But shooting [the new show], I had to pick. I had to have that for myself, if nothing else.”
McCarthy came to her conclusion after diligently reading ‘every police report’ and ‘every coroner’s report’ about the case.
However, she said that the drama series isn’t a whodunnit and instead explained it was a ‘character study’ into those involved in the case.
“This might sound nuts: I’m very fond of Patsy,” she continued.
“I have so much compassion for them, what they went through, and go through currently.”
Patsy passed away in 2006 after being diagnosed with ovarian cancer.
John, who was not involved in the new Netflix show, has since remarried and lives with his wife Jan Rousseaux in Michigan.
The heartbroken father has spoken out about the case several times over the years, most recently in Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey on Netflix.
Speaking to PEOPLE in 2024, he shared his own theory on who was behind the shocking crime but claimed police ‘blew it off’.
John told the publication about the case of a masked intruder who broke into the home of a 12-year-old girl in Boulder nine months after his daughter’s murder, and attacked the girl before running off.
He said he believes the intruder, who was never caught, could ‘easily have been the same person’ who killed his daughter.
“The police blew it off as, ‘No, it’s not the same,’” he added.
This year marks 30 years since JonBenét’s death and Boulder Police say they are still actively working on the ongoing homicide investigation.
Last December, they said they had ‘conducted several new interviews as well as re-interviewed individuals based on tips we’ve received’.
Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn said: “It is never too late for people with knowledge of this terrible crime to come forward, and I urge those responsible for this murder to contact us.”