Following her death in May, former housekeeper Linda Hoffman-Pugh was finally defended by the family that at one time allegedly questioned if she was involved in the murder of their beauty queen daughter.
Linda was working for John Ramsey and his wife, Patsy Ramsey, when their 6-year-old daughter, JonBenét Ramsey, was strangled and found in the basement of their Colorado home on December 26, 1996, triggering a high-profile investigation that the Boulder Police Department still hasn’t solved.
Now Wonderwall.com can report that the still-grieving father does not blame the housekeeper, despite past speculation.
Ex-housekeeper claimed she was victim of libel and slander
JonBenét Ramsey was killed by asphyxiation due to strangulation. By: MEGA
Linda came under early suspicion because of her close access to the family and their home, but she was cleared by investigators.
The family publicly discussed the case, including in a book released by John and Patsy titled The Death of Innocence: The Untold Story of JonBenét’s Murder and How Its Exploitation Compromised the Pursuit of Truth.
After the book’s publication, Linda filed a libel and slander lawsuit, alleging she had been portrayed as responsible for JonBenét’s death. Her attorneys claimed the Ramseys made “deliberate false statements … against our client … making her look as if she may have been involved.”
Ultimately, the case was dismissed — a decision Linda appealed to no avail.
John reveals what Patsy told him about Linda
The Ramsey family — including Patsy, John and son Burke — were cleared in the case. By: Netflix
When John — who recently shut down viral social media rumors falsely linking his late daughter to predator Jeffrey Epstein — spoke to In Touch in May, he shared something Patsy said about Linda.
“If Linda was involved, she would never hurt JonBenét,” John recalled his wife telling him “early on” the investigation
Linda, however, believed Patsy — who died in 2006 after a battle with ovarian cancer — was the person responsible for first pointing a finger at her as a possible suspect in the case.
During a 1999 interview with The Daily Camera, Linda noted, “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?”
Ramsey family members were once suspects, too
Linda Hoffman-Pugh claimed Patsy Ramsey was the first to blame her. By: HLN
Police also questioned if John and Patsy were involved. (Their son, Burke — who was 9 at the time his sister was killed — was cleared as a suspect.) Patsy was suspected of writing the ransom note she discovered on a staircase inside their home. Investigators theorized that the note was a means to deflect blame from the family.
A grand jury voted to indict the Ramseys for child abuse resulting in death and for being accessories to a crime, but the district attorney at the time declined the indictment. John later spoke out in frustration, claiming police falsely painted them as being involved.
Authorities later said trace DNA from an unidentified male had been found. As a result, one of the district attorneys who previously oversaw the case sent the family a letter stating that DNA testing had cleared them. But in 2016, another DA said the decision carried no legal weight and argued that the previous prosecutor should never have sent the letter.
In January 2026, the Boulder Police Department quietly named former Alabama deputy sheriff and patrol officer Kenny Beck as the case’s new lead investigator. He was reportedly brought on to provide a fresh pair of eyes and is allegedly collaborating with private investigators.
Saying goodbye
Housekeeper Linda Hoffman-Pugh maintained her innocence until her death in May 2026. By: Hard Copy
Linda died on May 2.
According to her obituary, which does not mention the Ramsey case, she is survived by five children and “numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren who called her Mom Mom” and brought her “such joy and happiness.” She was still a Colorado resident at the time of her passing.
“Her greatest joy was her family,” her obituary read. “She also loved her kitty, Zoey, putting puzzles together, crosswords, reading romance novels, watching game shows, bowling and latch hook.” It also noted that Linda had a paper route for many years and was “always so kind,” especially to “her elderly clients.”