A former Ramsey family housekeeper who was once pulled into the never-ending mystery surrounding JonBenét Ramsey’s murder has died.
Linda Hoffman-Pugh, who worked for John and Patsy Ramsey before the 6-year-old beauty queen was found dead in the family’s Boulder, Colorado, home, died on May 2 at age 82.
Her death closes another chapter in one of America’s most haunting unsolved murder cases.
Hoffman-Pugh was once looked at by investigators after JonBenét was found dead in the basement of her parents’ home on Dec. 26, 1996. She was later cleared by authorities and was never charged in connection with the killing.
But her name remained tangled in the case for years.
The former housekeeper later sued John and Patsy Ramsey after they raised questions about her in their book, The Death of Innocence: The Untold Story of JonBenét’s Murder and How Its Exploitation Compromised the Pursuit of Truth.
Her attorneys claimed at the time that the Ramseys made “deliberate false statements” that made Hoffman-Pugh look as if she may have been involved in the child’s murder.
A federal court dismissed the lawsuit, and the decision was later upheld on appeal.
Despite the legal battle, John Ramsey later defended Hoffman-Pugh and said his late wife Patsy did not believe the housekeeper would have harmed their daughter.
He previously said Patsy told him, “If Linda was involved, she would never hurt JonBenét.”
Hoffman-Pugh also publicly questioned why Patsy would have treated her warmly after JonBenét’s death if she really believed the housekeeper had anything to do with it.
In a 1999 interview with The Daily Camera, Hoffman-Pugh said, “Why would she think I’d do something like that and then invite me to the memorial service? Why would she hug me at the service?”
Her death comes as more and more people connected to the decades-old case have passed away.
Earlier this year, Dr. Henry Lee, the forensic expert who searched for DNA evidence during the early stages of the case, died at age 87.
Patsy Ramsey died of ovarian cancer in 2006, still not knowing who killed her daughter.
Retired detective Lou Smit, who was hired by John Ramsey and became convinced an intruder was responsible, died in 2010.
Detective Tom Haney Jr., who once questioned Patsy Ramsey during the investigation, died in 2025 at age 77.
A neighbor who claimed she heard a terrifying scream the night JonBenét was killed also died before the case was ever solved.
One source told RadarOnline that the deaths are making the already difficult case even harder.
“These people are dying, and justice is just fading away,” the source said. “With all these witnesses dying, they are going to have a tough time prosecuting this case if and when they make an arrest.”
JonBenét was just 6 years old when she was found murdered in the basement of her family’s home the day after Christmas.
Her death became one of the most infamous cold cases in American history.
Nearly 30 years later, no one has ever been convicted.
John Ramsey, now in his 80s, has continued to push for answers and has repeatedly criticized the Boulder Police Department for how the case was handled in the beginning.
He has accused investigators of focusing too quickly on the family instead of properly exploring other leads.
In a previous interview, John claimed police made up their minds “day one” that he and Patsy were somehow responsible.
He said the district attorney later told the family that investigators believed the Ramseys “didn’t act right” on the morning JonBenét was reported missing.
John has also pushed for advanced DNA testing and investigative genetic genealogy, the same kind of technology that helped crack other long-cold cases, including the Golden State Killer case.
He has said he would even help raise money to pay for the testing if needed.
“I am absolutely convinced that’s the gold standard today,” John previously told Fox News Digital. “So I’ve been pushing that pretty hard in terms of what I think ought to happen.”
He added, “To me, it’s a no-brainer that it would be done, but I don’t know how to make it happen. All I can do is ask.”
Kenny Beck, a former Alabama deputy sheriff and patrol officer turned detective, has since joined the effort to try to solve the case.
But with Hoffman-Pugh now gone, another person tied to the mystery has taken her secrets to the grave.
And for JonBenét Ramsey’s family, the central question remains just as chilling as it was in 1996.
Who killed the little girl in the basement?
Discover more from
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.