A grand jury's 1999 indictment of the parents of JonBenet Ramsey was unsealed Friday, showing that the jury had decided to indict John and Patsy Ramsey on charges of child abuse resulting in death and of accessory to a crime. The indictment had been kept secret for years, keeping intact the mystery of who killed the 6-year-old beauty pageant queen, found dead in the basement of her Colorado home on Dec. 26, 1996. Despite the indictment, prosecutors never charged the Ramseys, who did not appear before the grand jury. The couple was "under suspicion" until 2008, when an incoming Colorado district attorney exonerated them. The case — as well as the DA's decision not to charge the Ramseys and the court's decision to seal the indictment — remain hotly debated, the Denver Post noted. On Friday it remained unclear whether additional documents would be released. There were hopes prior to the unsealing that some light may finally be shed on the 17-year-old murder case, and a full 18 pages of documents had been slated for possible release.
