BOULDER, Colo. -- The investigation into the slaying of JonBenet Ramsey has been placed back in the hands of Boulder police, who say they will apply new technology and expertise in hopes of solving the 12-year-old case.

The move, announced Monday, comes six years after police turned the probe over to the district attorney amid public criticism of how officers had handled it.

"Some cases never get solved, but some do. And you can't give up ... We'd love to solve this case for JonBenet so she can rest in peace," Police Chief Mark Beckner said at a news conference announcing the shift.

JonBenet, a 6-year-old Boulder beauty pageant contestant, was found dead in the cellar of her parent's home on Dec. 26, 1996. She had been bludgeoned and strangled. Her parents went on CNN several days later and the case eventually attracted worldwide attention.

No suspect has ever been identified and JonBenet's murder remains unsolved. She would be 18 now, if she had lived.

Police Form Cold Case Task Force

At the news conference, Beckner said more than 140 people had already been investigated as potential suspects, but none could be linked to the crime.

Beckner said his department plans to investigate the slaying as a cold case, inviting a team of 20 investigators from several state and federal agencies to join an advisory task force.

"We're bringing in people on this task force that are going to have a fresh perspective. (They're going to) look at this case, tell us what they think, challenge us, give us ideas," Beckner said.

The group plans to meet for two days in the next few weeks to review all the evidence in the case and identify additional DNA testing that might be useful.

Beckner said he wants to go into the first meeting with no preconceived notions.

"We are open to all possibilities," he said.

Beckner said new technology gives investigators tools they didn't have 10 years ago.

DA Says Case Had Been 'Distraction' To District Attorney's Office

Beckner said he and newly elected District Attorney Stan Garnett agreed that police should lead the investigation again.

Garnett said he was concerned that the investigation was "inefficient" and "a distraction" to his staff.

"District attorneys prosecute and police investigate," Garnett said. "I have carefully reviewed the state of the evidence in the Ramsey case, meeting with many people both inside and outside of my office. Based on the state of this evidence, no charges can be filed against anyone in this case at this time. Possible leads come in on a regular basis and the Boulder Police should investigate these leads. I, in consultation with my staff, will make any filing decision based on the evidence.

"It is not productive for me to revisit, or comment on, any past decisions made by the two previous elected District Attorneys and other law enforcement officials on the JonBenet Ramsey case, including Mary Lacy's letter of July 9, 2008, which speaks for itself. I will not comment further on the evidence or its implications unless and until charges are filed, and then will do so in the only appropriate forum for such comments: a court of law," he said.

Former District Attorney Mary Lacy, last year cleared Jonbenet's family in the slaying, citing DNA evidence.

John Ramsey Reacts To Move

JonBenet's father, John Ramsey, didn't immediately return a message left with his attorney, L. Lin Wood of Atlanta. Wood told The Associated Press that Beckner informed John Ramsey of the move in a letter received Monday.

Wood called the move "a positive sign in terms of my hope that the Boulder Police Department will take not only a new review in terms of a cold case review, but that it will go in this time with an objective review."

Wood and Ramsey have been critical of previous police efforts, saying they unfairly focused on the family and ignored other evidence.

Larry Pozner, past president of the National Association for Criminal Defense Lawyers has been a harsh critic of the Boulder Police Department's handling of the Ramsey investigation. He said allowing Boulder police to continue to investigate the case is rewarding bad police work.

"To give it back to the Boulder Police is to give it to the team that botched it from the beginning," Pozner said.

Garnett's predecessor, Mary Lacy, last year cleared Jonbenet's family in the slaying, saying male DNA found on the girl's clothing almost certainly came from her killer, and that it didn't match anyone in the family.

Patsy Ramsey, JonBenet's mother and John Ramsey's wife, died in 2004 after a long battle with cancer.

Wood said Beckner's letter gave no hint that police would back away from that finding.

"Nor could any objective investigation back away," he said. (The DNA evidence) is compelling if not conclusive."

Former Boulder DA Reacts

Lacy did not run for re-election because of term limits. She told the AP that returning the investigation to police was "a great idea."

"I think that time has resolved any issues that might have lingered, but also I think that Mark Beckner has done a very good job," she said.

Former Adams County District Attorney Bob Grant, who has served as an advisor during the investigation said Boulder Police should have taken over the investigation years ago when the grand jury failed to indict anyone.

"If there is anything to be done this is the right thing to be done," Grant said. "I'm from the old school. I think police investigate and prosecutors prosecute."

Grant also acknowledged that the task force's investigation would be slow and grueling and their chances of solving the case were "slim."

Read more in the Boulder Daily Camera.