LOUISVILLE, Colo. -- A former police detective being sued by the parents of JonBenet Ramsey for libel has sent out a mass mailing to Denver metro-area residents asking for financial help.

Steve Thomas said in the mailing that he cannot afford to fight the lawsuit and asked for donations. Thomas was at one point the lead detective in the Ramsey murder investigating.

John and Patsy Ramsey sued Thomas for libel and defamation for statements made in the book that he co-wrote in which he accused the couple of having a role in their daughter's death. They are seeking $65 million.

JonBenet was found beaten and strangled in her family's Boulder home Dec. 26, 1996. Police have said that her parents, who now live in Atlanta, remain under suspicion, but no one has been charged in her death.

The suit accuses Thomas of securing a six-figure contract for "JonBenet: Inside the Ramsey Murder Investigation" with the promise he would say that Patsy Ramsey killed six-year-old JonBenet and John Ramsey covered up the crime.

"I am fighting this lawsuit with my own money and with all the proceeds from the book," Thomas' letter said. "But I am not a wealthy man and cannot fight this battle alone."

Thomas also has sent out mass e-mailings asking for help.