ATLANTA -- The mother of missing teenager Natalee Holloway and the father of slain child beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey have become friends, the attorney they share told reporters.

Lawyer Lin Wood declined to describe their relationship as romantic, however.

"I would describe them as friends who have a great deal of admiration for each other," Wood said of Beth Twitty and John Ramsey.

Wood told The Associated Press they "share common interests and concerns related to their children, particularly with respect to the actions of law enforcement and the media in response to those tragic losses."

Twitty and Ramsey met late last year through an organization that arranges speaking engagements, Wood said.

According to Fox News, the couple has been spotted openly holding hands and kissing -- in Twitty's hometown in Alabama and at an art show.

Twitty has been married twice, separating from George Twitty on Dec. 15. Ramsey's wife, Patsy Ramsey, died in June 2006 of ovarian cancer.

JonBenet Ramsey was reported missing from her family's Boulder, Colo., home by her wealthy parents on the morning after Christmas 1996. The 6-year-old's body was found in the basement. She was strangled and her skull crushed.

John and Patsy left Colorado after the murder and never returned.

Holloway, 18, disappeared in Aruba in May 2005 during a trip with high school classmates. Police spent months searching for her to no avail.

Three suspects were later arrested in connection with the Holloway case but were released.

Both cases remain unsolved.