OnlyOnAOL: Who killed JonBenét Ramsey? One expert weighs in

By: Donna Freydkin

It's hard to fathom that she'd be 26 today.

JonBenét Patricia Ramsey was found strangled in her Colorado home in December 1996. The case quickly captivated the media and the public for a number of reasons. First, Ramsey was a telegenic, perky beauty queen, part of the insular world of child pageants.

There was a strange, complex, bizarre ransom note found on the staircase in the home. Her parents John and Patricia spoke to TV crews, but not the police – until 120 days after their daughter's death.

And on Sunday and Monday, CBS digs into the story with "The Case Of: JonBenét Ramsey." We spoke to James Fitzgerald, retired FBI supervisory special agent and forensic linguistic profiler who was part of the original investigation and who analyzed the case.

"We have so many images of this young girl. We almost feel to some degree like some of us know her," says Fitzgerald.

There was no sign of forced entry. And while the family, including older brother Burke, were suspects, it remains unsolved. Would the crime be cracked wide open if it happened today?

"The answer would be: yes. It would depend on the circumstances and variables involved," says Fitzgerald.

Fitzgerald says that though the Ramseys were cleared, their delayed sit-downs with police didn't help resolve anything. "With so much time having elapsed at that moment, quite frankly from the interviews themselves, not a whole lot came out," says Fitzgerald.

As for the nonsensical ransom note: "The letter was one big act of staging," says Fitzgerald. "Of someone writing something, in 385 words, to make it look like something other than what it really is."

He says the producers contacted the Ramseys (Patsy died of cancer in 2006) but were turned away. "They weren't interested in involving themselves directly in this," says Fitzgerald.