This week marks 20 years since JonBenet Ramsey, a 6-year-old beauty queen, was brutally murdered in her family’s sprawling home in Boulder, Colo.

Among law enforcement, the media and the public, theories abounded as to who the killer or killers were, with suspects ranging from JonBenet’s parents to a former substitute teacher living in Thailand. Investigators formed an expert prosecution task force, followed thousands of tips and spent millions of dollars trying to charge and prosecute a suspect. The crime spurred books, TV shows and movies, including several this last fall.

Why has the case remained unsolved? There’s no single explanation, though authorities readily acknowledge that early missteps by police hampered the investigation for years. Intense media coverage at the time also played a role, pressuring police to act quickly and sending investigators down ultimately useless paths.

Early on the morning of Dec. 26, 1996, JonBenet’s mother, Patsy Ramsey, called police and reported that her daughter was missing and that she had found a ransom note demanding $118,000 in cash.

Click here to read the full story on LATimes.com.