Both Natalee Holloway’s mom, Beth Holloway, and JonBenét Ramsey’s dad, John Ramsey, were catapulted into the public eye when their daughters were tragically killed.
As Beth and John have advocated for justice for their daughters over the years, the pair crossed paths and were even romantically involved at one point.
Us breaks down everything to know about Beth and John’s romance, including what her attorney said about their dynamic, how the duo met and more.
Did Natalee Holloway’s Mom and JonBenet Ramsey’s Dad Date?
Beth and John met at a fundraiser in Colorado in 2006, and they went on to become friends after bonding over their family tragedies.
The pair later sparked romance rumors when they were spotted kissing, holding hands and having dinner together.
“They met and shared a common interest in how both law enforcement and the media have dealt with them. They shared that and bonded. They also have a lot in common… They connected through the loss of their children,” their shared lawyer, Lin Wood, told the New York Post in June 2007.
That same month, John insisted that he and Beth were only friends. “The tabloid rumours are totally exaggerated. I have great respect for Beth and how she’s handled her terrible situation,” he told the Denver Post. “We’ve developed a friendship of respect and admiration.”
In addition to grieving the loss of their daughters, both Beth and John became single around the same time. Beth’s husband, Jug Twitty, filed for divorce in December 2006, while John’s wife, Patsy Ramsey, died of ovarian cancer in June 2006.
When Did Natalee Holloway’s Mom and JonBenet Ramsey’s Dad Split?
Beth confirmed that the couple dated and had since broken up while appearing on a talk show in 2007.
“He is a dear friend of mine. We were dating, I would say. But now I think we really just support each other,” she said at the time.
Beth added that John’s friendship was comforting to her following Natalee’s disappearance. “I feel as if he has a lot of miles on me, as far as into his journey,” she said. “I feel like he was a really good source of support and strength.”
What Happened to Natalee Holloway?
Natalee was 18 years old when she went missing on May 30, 2005, while on a high school graduation trip in Oranjestad, Aruba. After spending time at a nightclub, she was last seen getting into a car with Joran van der Sloot and brothers Deepak Kalpoe and Satish Kalpoe.
Van der Sloot and the Kalpoe brothers quickly became suspects in the case, and they were arrested two times amid the investigation. However, the suspects were released both times after authorities were unable to find enough evidence against them.
Five years after Natalee went missing, van der Sloot was arrested for killing 21-year-old college student Stephany Flores Ramírez. The same month of his arrest, van der Sloot was indicted in the United States on federal wire fraud and extortion charges after he demanded Beth pay him money in exchange for information about Natalee’s disappearance in March 2010.
Van der Sloot was sentenced to serve 20 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to the federal extortion charges in 2023. The sentence is currently running concurrently with his 28-year sentence for Ramírez’s murder.
He eventually admitted to killing Natalee after he agreed to share information about her death as part of his plea deal.
Despite admitting to the murder, van der Sloot was never charged in connection to Natalee’s murder because Aruba enforces a 12-year statute of limitations for homicides.
What Happened to JonBenet Ramsey?
JonBenét was 6 years old when she was found murdered in her family’s basement at their home in Boulder, Colorado, on December 26, 1996.
Several theories have circulated regarding who may have killed the pageant queen, but no one has ever been charged with her murder. The investigation into the homicide remains ongoing.
John has continued to seek justice for his daughter nearly 30 years after she was killed. In June 2026, he opened up about how advancements in DNA testing may lead to identifying his daughter’s killer.
“They found unidentified male DNA in JonBenét’s panties and some other areas. That was a big problem for the police because they started including everything. I’m not sure which one, but now they’ve got unidentified male DNA to explain away,” he said while speaking to NewsNation. “So the DNA, whoever did the DNA then, did us a great service by finding them. And then, of course, more was found in 2006 when it was tested using other crime scene evidence, tested using the latest technology at that point.”
