ATLANTA – Patsy Ramsey, whose 6-year-old daughter JonBenet's 1996 slaying has never been solved, died Saturday of cancer, her lawyer said. She was 49.
Ramsey was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 1993 and suffered a recurrence several years ago, attorney L. Lin Wood said. She died at her father's home in suburban Atlanta with her husband, John, at her bedside.
"It is not unexpected but it is a sad day," Wood told The Associated Press.
JonBenet, who competed in beauty pageants, was found beaten and strangled in her parents' Boulder, Colo. basement on Dec. 26, 1996. A grand jury investigation ended with no indictments, and no arrests have been made.
JonBenet's death became fodder for tabloids and the subject of books.
The Ramseys said an intruder killed their daughter but a cloud of suspicion hung over the couple. The district attorney and a federal judge in Colorado have said it is likelier that an intruder was responsible.
"Hopefully her legacy will not be tied to the false accusation related to the brutal murder of her daughter," Wood said Saturday.
Patsy Ramsey said she found a ransom note on the back staircase of the family's home demanding $118,000 for the safe return of JonBenet. John Ramsey said he found his daughter's body in a basement room eight hours later.
An autopsy concluded JonBenet suffered a skull fracture, and was strangled and beaten.
The couple left Colorado after JonBenet's death and wrote a book, "The Death of Innocence," which was published in 2000.
They had residences in Atlanta and in Michigan, where John Ramsey made an unsuccessful bid for the Michigan House in 2004.
He finished second among six candidates vying for the Republican nomination. The Ramseys discussed their daughter's death during the campaign.
"We can't just hold our breath and hope the killer will be found and then go on with our lives," Patsy Ramsey said in 2004. "We have to move ahead now. We can't let evil win."
Patsy Ramsey is survived by her husband and their 19-year-old son, Burke.
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox