They called the police before their lawyer. The Boulder PD bothched this case badly, no doubt about it. But now there may be a break, at least an eventual break.
At the time of JonBenet's autopsy DNA extraction technolgy was unable to get a full genetic profile from the genetic evidence at the scene. Now, a decade later, from two small blood stains left at the scene, investigators have a profile of someone not associated with the home.
Great article on the case here...
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/12/16/48hours/main661569.shtml
This profile is run through CODIS and eventually will come up with a hit. The person/people who murdered JonBenet will eventually screw up, murder again and this DNA profile will show up. Cases that go back 20+ years have been solved this way.
All of Lou Smit's red herrings in one place - an article from a year ago.
The DNA was partial and degraded. JonBenet's own whole blood was fresh. Unless one has an atom-smasher, how would someone go about leaving "partial" DNA? Do you have any idea how sub-microscopic that would be?
If it became partial from degradation, that means it was "old." How old? Not from that night. The fact that it was found mingled with her blood in her panties doesn't mean it came from inside her body or from a perp, since it matched what was under her fingernails.
It means it probably came from her own hands. She was still unable to clean herself properly in the bathroom - that was a known fact by the family and came out in police questioning. She would yell for others to come help her while on the toilet.
Whatever she had on her hands and under her fingernails simply got onto her privates and/or onto the crotch of her panties that way, then intermingled with the fresh blood when she was injured. There are many other sources it could have been from, other than her killer.
That was a very interesting article.