JESSICA RIDGEWAY - 10 yo/ Concivted: Austin Sigg -Westminster CO

Amber Alert on for Westminster girl, 10, missing since 8:30 a.m.

10/05/2012
Westminster Police are asking for help in
their search for a 10-year-old girl last seen walking to school Friday
morning in the area of 107th Avenue and Moore Street.
Jessica Ridgeway was seen walking to school at 8:30 a.m., but police say she never made it to school.
Westminster Police sent a tweet at about 9:20 p.m. stating that an Amber Alert was about to be issued.
Westminster Police spokesman Trevor Materasso earlier in the evening
said an Amber Alert wasn't issued immediately because of strict criteria
that requires investigators to have a reasonable suspicion that an
abduction took place.
"The difficult issue is we don't have any information about where she might have gone," Materasso said.
Jessica
lives with her mom, who works a night shift and gets Jessica ready for
school in the mornings, but lets her walk to a nearby park where she
meets some classmates to walk the rest of the way to school.
The classmates say Jessica didn't show up Friday morning.
Materasso said that when the school called home to say Jessica wasn't in school, her mom was sleeping.
Jessica's mom got the message just after 4 p.m. when she woke up, and that's when she called police.
Jessica is described as 4 feet 10 inches
tall, weighing about 80 pounds with blond shoulder-length hair. She has
blue eyes, and was wearing a black jacket and pink and purple colored
glasses.
Police have made reverse phone calls to more than 12,000
homes in the area. Jefferson County School District also made a
notification call to more than 400 families of students and faculty
members.
Bloodhounds and other K-9 units from Westminster and from
other agencies have been helping search the area including all nearby
trails, and parks.
Bad weather has kept police helicopters grounded, Materasso said.

Materasso said police have moved to doing door-to-door searches in the area.
Police
are also asking the public not to go out searching themselves because
it could disrupt the work of the K-9 units, but anyone interested in
helping search can meet at the Westview Recreation Center at 108th
Avenue and Oak Street.
Westminster Police are still calling in
additional resources, and have no intentions of putting off the search
for the night, Materasso said.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police by calling 303-658-4360.




Read more: Amber Alert on for Westminster girl, 10, missing since 8:30 a.m. - The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/ci_21711161?source=bb#ixzz28WB5GZPS

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Jessica Ridgeway search shifts to Superior after backpack found


Police using bloodhound to search neighborhood

The search for missing 10-year-old Jessica
Ridgeway of Westminster shifted to Superior this afternoon after a
resident reported the discovery of a backpack with a water bottle that
has the girl's name written on it.

A Superior resident e-mailed
the town's listserv shortly after 1 p.m. today with a message bearing
the subject line "Children's Back Pack Found." The message reads: "Found
this morning on the side walk at Andrew Drive and Alpha Court. Water
bottle has 'Jessica Ridgeway' name on it. Come and get it."

Westminster police spokesman Trevor Materasso, on scene in Superior,
verified that a backpack had been found, but said police weren't able to
confirm yet whether it belonged to Ridgeway of whether the water bottle
had her name on it.

Materasso said the person who found the backpack didn't recognize the
name of the missing girl, but when someone replied to his original
e-mail pointing out its significance, he immediately called 911 to
report the discovery.

"We've been looking for a lead, and this is possibly that," Materasso
told reporters at a news conference this afternoon near the site where
the backpack was found.

A bloodhound from Jefferson County is on scene trying to search the area off any scents on the backpack, Materasso said.

Police have now closed roads around that area to all non-residents.
Officers can be seen searching trunks of residents' cars going into the
neighborhood.

As she was waiting in a line of cars to get home,
Christine Wiedinmyer said the original tip was e-mailed by one of her
neighbors, and she, too, saw the backpack on the sidewalk around 8:15
this morning as she was headed out. She said it didn't really strike her
at first because there often are children's bikes or toys left about in
the neighborhood.
She said her husband currently was being interviewed at their house by FBI agents because he, too, saw the backpack.

"It's horrifying," Wiedinmyer said. "I want to get home. My daughters are so worried."

Aldo Gurmendi was stopped, too, while trying to return home this afternoon with his family.

"I have three daughters, so I'm kind of freaking out," he said.

Norm Zrubeck, who lives in Spanish Hills off South Boulder Road, was
turned away by police when he tried to drive into Rock Creek in Superior
to watch the Broncos game with his son.

"They said, 'You can't go in the neighborhood because of an investigation,'" Zrubeck said.

Of the possibility that the search is connected to the missing
Westminster girl, Zrubeck said, "I hope they catch whoever did it or it
helps in her recovery."

Police, bloodhounds and volunteers have been working to find the
girl, who disappeared after leaving her home in the 10700 block of Moore
Street Friday.

On Saturday, more than 800 volunteers searched
through muddy fields in chilly temperatures as they examined every open
space in the surrounding neighborhood.

Jessica's mother, a night
shift worker, told police she last saw her walking toward school Friday
morning. She reported the girl missing later in the afternoon when she
woke to find a phone message saying Jessica hadn't arrived at Witt
Elementary.

No evidence points to any family involvement,
officials said. Jessica's father attended a child-custody hearing in a
Missouri courtroom on Friday and police don't believe the custody issue
is related to her disappearance.
http://www.dailycamera.com/superior-news/ci_21719734/jessica-ridgeway-search-hunt-missing-westminster-girl-shifts

Could Wyoming Abduction Be Related to Jessica Ridgeway Disappearance?

FBI agents are investigating if there is a connection between the case of missing Colorado 10-year-old Jessica Ridgeway and the abduction of an 11-year-old in Wyoming on Monday.

Authorities say they do not yet know if there could be a connection, but FBI Denver spokesman Dave Joly said, "We are covering all of our bases."

On Monday afternoon, an 11-year-old girl in Cody, Wyo., was lured to a white SUV by a man who approached her and two friends. He told them that he was missing his black lab puppy and asked if they could help him find it, police said.

One of the little girls agreed to help him and climbed into the front seat of the vehicle and he drove away. Forty-five minutes later, one of the other children called the police to say that her friend had gotten in the car and not returned.

An Amber Alert was issued around 6:45 p.m. and police received a report at 8:15 p.m. of a little girl walking down Spirit Mountain Road, just outside Cody. Authorities confirmed that it was the missing girl.

"[The girl] reported that when she approached the suspect vehicle, the suspect brandished a 'pistol' and directed her to get in the front passenger seat of the vehicle," the Cody Police Department wrote in a report. "The suspect then drove the victim onto Carter Mountain where he sexually assaulted her."
Amber Alert Issued for Colorado Girl, 10 Watch Video

ABC News is withholding the name of the child since she was a victim of sexual assault.

Authorities are now on the hunt for the suspect who they describe as a white male, approximately 55-60 years old, between 185 and 200 pounds with either short white or strawberry blonde hair and a mustache or beard.

Cody is approximately 500 miles northwest of Westminster, Colo., where Jessica Ridgeway disappeared. . .

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wyoming-abduction-related-jessica-ridgeway-disappearance/story?id=17435010#.UHSeYpHVi6U

Poster's note: I doubt they are connected - this was 500 miles away, but a very sad story. I'm thankful this little girl was released though. Jessica has been missing for so long now...that does not bode well.

Colorado police discover body in search for Jessica Ridgeway 10/11/2012

DENVER – Colorado police who have been
searching for a missing 10-year-old girl since Friday said they found a
body in the vicinity of where the girl went missing.


As of Thursday morning, police were unable to confirm that the body
belongs to Jessica Ridgeway. The body was found in Pattridge Park Open
Space late Wednesday near an abandoned mining shack, KDVR.com reported.
Police said they will hold an early-morning press conference.


Authorities determined that Ridgeway, a fifth-grader with blond hair,
was kidnapped by an unknown suspect on her way to school. The only real
clue police have revealed is the discovery of a backpack and water
bottle that Ridgeway had with her six miles from her home.


The multi-agency search for the girl was assisted by a social media
push that had #JessicaRidgeway trending on Twitter. Police said they
received hundreds of tips and reported sightings of the girl in states
ranging from Maine to Nevada.


On Wednesday, about 25 deputies arrived by bus and fanned out across Jessica's neighborhood, scouring bushes and front yards.


Divers again searched ponds in what Westminster police spokesman
Trevor Materasso described as a "precautionary measure." Police have
isolated trash from Ridgeway's neighborhood at a landfill -- but will
search there only if the investigation points them in that direction.


Critical was an initial delay in reporting Ridgeway missing. Many
child abduction cases or Amber Alerts are resolved within hours of a
report, as was the case in a Wyoming abduction Monday.
Sarah Ridgeway said her daughter woke up at 7:45 a.m. Friday as usual
and ate a granola bar before leaving to meet friends at a park about a
block away for their walk to Witt Elementary School. Police say Sarah
Ridgeway, a night-shift worker, was asleep and missed a call from school
reporting Jessica absent.


She got the message when she woke at about 4 p.m., eight hours after she said her daughter left the house.


Sarah Ridgeway checked the park, Ridgeway's friends and the school
before calling police. Ridgeway never even met her friends that morning.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/10/11/police-say-believe-missing-colorado-girl-was-abducted-are-confident-parents-not/#ixzz28zgw8uCi

WESTMINSTER, Colo. — Police announced Wednesday night a body was found in an open space in Arvada.

Police spokesman Trevor Materasso made the announcement at a 7:30
p.m. news briefing. He said investigators could not confirm if the body
was Jessica Ridgeway.

“At this time we’re unable to make any connection to the disappearance of Jessica Ridgeway,” Materasso says.

The FBI and police had been combing Pattridge Park Open Space late
Wednesday afternoon when the discovery was made at about 5 p.m. near an
abandoned mining shack. There are many of the shacks in the area.

Police from Westminster and Arvada along with additional agencies
secured the crime scene and said they would be working through the night
into Thursday at that location. The scene was very active late
Wednesday night.
The park is in west Arvada. The crime scene has been established just
north of 82nd. Ave. between Indiana on the east and Highway 93 on the
west. Highway 93 was closed in both Directions near Leyden Gulch during
processing of the crime scene. 82nd. was also closed. Residents in the
area had to show ID to get through road blocks.

Jessica’s home is at 107th Ave. and Moore St. in Westminster.

She was last seen leaving home for school Friday at about 8:30 a.m. She never made it to school.

Her backpack was found in a neighborhood in Superior Sunday.

Earlier in the day, Westminster police called a news conference to announce that Jessica’s parents had been cleared in the 10-year-old’s disappearance and investigators were turning their focus to an ‘unknown suspect.’

They also called Jessica’s disappearance an ‘abduction.’
http://kdvr.com/2012/10/10/westminster-police-body-found-in-arvada-park-cant-confirm-if-its-jessica-ridgeway/

The heartbreaking investigation into the disappearance of 10-year-old Jessica Ridgeway took a grisly turn today when police said that a body found during their search for Jessica is "not intact."

The condition of the body is delaying identification.

"It's not intact," Westminster Police Department spokesman Trevor Materasso said at a news conference today. "This is extending the length of time it's taking for investigators to positively identify who that body is."

The body was was found in an Arvada, Colo., park a few miles from where Ridgeway disappeared last week.

"We've released the information and contacted the family to let them know this information is being released publicly," Materasso said, seeming to refer to the revelation that the body was dismembered.

Police haven't officially tied the crime scene at the Pattridge Park open space in Arvada to the missing girl. But investigators have reasons to believe it is the body of the girl who vanished Friday on her walk to school, stressing that a positive identification will take time, according to three sources.
PHOTO: Missing girl, Jessica Ridgeway, is shown in this photo posted on Facebook by the police.
Westminster PD
Missing girl, Jessica Ridgeway, is shown in... View Full Size
Body Discovered in Jessica Ridgeway Search Watch Video
Missing Colorado Girl: Can Disappearance Be Linked to Others? Watch Video
Amber Alert Issued for Colorado Girl, 10 Watch Video

Materasso said authorities expect to have a news conference on Friday to release more information.

Police worked overnight under the floodlights of a fire truck as the body was carried out after dark on a stretcher. The body was found about seven miles from Jessica's home and close to where her backpack was discovered.

Police were alerted to the body hours after they said that Jessica's parents were not suspects in her disappearance and they believed she had been abducted. Police say they still don't have any suspects.

"At this point in the investigation, after thoroughly looking at the parents, we're confident that they're not involved in the disappearance of Jessica Ridgeway," Materasso said on Wednesday. "The focus shifts to an unknown suspect, as we think that she was abducted."

Surrounded by 10 family members, including Jessica's father, Jeremiah Bryant, Jessica's mom, Sarah Ridgeway, said early Wednesday, "I know I didn't do anything. Everybody that's here knows I didn't do anything. Nobody in this room did anything to harm her or a tiny hair on her little head."

Bryant lives out of state and was in a custody battle with Sarah Ridgeway. .....

http://abcnews.go.com/US/body-found-jessica-ridgeway-search-intact/story?id=17449354#.UHdOM5HVi6U

Poor little girl. This will end badly.

Poor little girl. This will end badly.

I hope she's still alive. But it does not look good. If she is alive then another little girl had been murdered. Which is not good either. The body is said to be of a young female. I hope they catch the monster that did this.

William

Just watched a news conference and it was confirmed that the body found Wednesday night is that of Jessica Ridgeway. They said the focus will now be on finding the person responsible and prosecuting that person. They said they would not be answering any questions and asked the media to keep in mind the suffering that the family of Jessica is going through.
Angel


Jessica Ridgeway case: FBI releases possible suspect profile

10/12/2012
As officials investigate a body that could be that of 10-year-old
Jessica Ridgeway, the focus of the missing-child case has shifted.
Officials are now focused on the potential kidnapping element, with the FBI releasing a profile of a possible suspect.
Police are conducting DNA tests to determine whether the body, recovered in Pattridge Park in Arvada, Colo., is the missing child, according to tweets sent Friday by the Westminster, Colo., police. Officials said the tests could be completed by late afternoon.
The body was found about seven miles from where the girl disappeared in suburban Denver on Oct. 5.

“Many
in Westminster and other communities are wearing purple today to show
support for #jessicaridgeway family,” the police also tweeted. Purple
ribbons have been visible in the suburban Denver town since Jessica
disappeared last week.

Even as authorities work to ascertain the
identity of the body, the case is increasingly being treated as a
criminal matter, officials said.
Accordingly, the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit has released a profile of some characteristics of a possible kidnapper, most likely a man who suddenly changes his behavior.

A
suspect might suddenly miss work; cancel appointments, such as visits
to the doctor; or leave town abruptly, the profile states. He might
change his appearance by adding or subtracting facial hair or change his
usual patterns of drinking alcohol or taking drugs. He also might show a
deep interest in the status of the Jessica Ridgeway investigation.

“We
have no suspects,” FBI spokesman Dave Joly said in an interview with
the Los Angeles Times on Friday. “We are open to any and all things that
the public might find.

“It could be your boss, it could be your
friend, and ultimately it could be your family member,” Joly told
reporters. “Bring this information to law enforcement and let us vet
that to a close. If that person is not the suspect, 'Thank you for your
call.’ Next lead.”

In these type of cases, authorities first look
at the family, especially if the parents are living apart. But
officials have said they have ruled out the parents, Sarah Ridgeway, who
lives in Colorado, and Jeremiah Bryant, who lives in Missouri.

Sarah
Ridgeway has told police she last saw Jessica on Friday as the child
left to meet friends at a park for their walk to elementary school.
Sarah Ridgeway, who works nights, then went to sleep; she learned eight
hours later that her daughter had failed to show up for class, setting
off the search for the child.
The only real clues, police have said, is the discovery over the weekend
of a backpack and water bottle that Jessica had with her when she
disappeared. Police won't discuss what was in the bag, which was found
about six miles from Jessica's home.

Meanwhile, officers have
continued to search the area around the park where the body was found
Wednesday night. The body “was not intact,” police have said, making
identification difficult. Police have been unable to say if the body was
even that of a child.

That has prompted a series of tests including comparisons of the DNA with Jessica’s.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-body-jessica-ridgeway-20121012,0,4127604.story

Police confirm body found in Arvada is 10-year-old Jessica Ridgeway

10/12/2012
WESTMINSTER, Colo. — Police announced Friday afternoon the body of 10-year-old Jessica Ridgeway has been found.

Jessica disappeared while on her way to school one week ago.

“Our focus has changed from a search for Jessica to a mission for justice for Jessica,” says Westminster Police Chief Lee Birk.

“There is a predator at large in our community. We are doing everything in our power to apprehend that predator,” Birk says.

Workers picking up trash found her body in Pattridge Park Open Space
in Arvada Wednesday afternoon. The body was identified using DNA tests.
Thursday, the FBI asked for the public’s help in finding the suspect who kidnapped Jessica. Click here to see a profile of the suspect and potential behaviors.

Jim Yacone of the FBI says the agency’s “commitment to seek justice will only grow.”

Yacone asked everyone to keep reporting tips to authorities. The FBI
reiterated “we’ve eliminated the family and we’re looking for an
abductor at this point.”

If you have any information regarding the investigation, Westminster
police are asking you to call the tip line at 303-658-4336, or email PDamberalert@cityofwestminster.us.
http://kdvr.com/2012/10/12/police-confirm-body-found-in-arvada-is-10-year-old-jessica-ridgeway/

"Jessica Ridgeway Is Dead: Colorado Kidnapping Ends in Tragedy
Oct 12, 2012 6:40 PM EDT
The weeklong search for 10-year-old Jessica Ridgeway ends with a grisly find in a park a few miles from the fifth-grader’s home.

The search for missing Colorado 10-year-old Jessica Ridgeway took a tragic turn today when police identified a dismembered body found in a park just miles from her home as that of the fifth-grader. The death marked the end of a massive search involving hundreds of state, local and federal authorities that began one week ago when she vanished during a two-block walk to a park to meet friends.

“Our focus has changed from a search for Jessica to a mission to find justice for Jessica,” said Westminster Police Chief Lee Birk at a late afternoon press conference at the Westminster Public Safety Center. “We recognize there is a predator at large in our community.”

So far, police have not named a suspect in her gruesome death, and it is unclear if three abduction attempts in the last month are related. In one case, a white man with brown hair driving a blue sedan attempted twice—on September 9 and September 12—to lure elementary school kids into his car with candy. Then, on October 4, the day before Jessica disappeared, two young girls told Arvada, Colo., police that a man in a white van followed them as they walked home from school. It was also reported that a suspicious white van was seen in Jessica’s neighborhood of modest, two-story homes on the same morning of her disappearance......
....The investigation took a grisly turn late Wednesday afternoon when a road crew doing clean up in Pattridge Park, an open space area near a number of abandoned coal mines in the Denver suburb of Arvada, discovered the dismembered body of a small person near the road. The body was found about seven miles from Jessica’s home. Federal and police officers swarmed the area looking for additional clues. Later that night, the body was taken to the coroner’s office on a stretcher."

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/10/12/jessica-ridgeway-is-dead-colorado-kidnapping-ends-in-tragedy.html

Poster's note: This is all just too horrible. How my heart breaks for Jessica's mother and loved ones. My thoughts are that it's the white van person and I wonder if Police were seriously looking for the blue sedan and the van after it was reported that they were stalking; that is rape, kidnapping, murder just waiting to happen.

A van would allow the pervert/sick-o murderer to do his dasterdly deed and then dispose of the child close to the road and toss the bookbag out the window. And to the mother: I don't think it would have helped if you had gotten the early am phone call.

Sad. My heart and soul cries for the lost little angel. I hope she gets justice.
William

[code]

Exclusive: DNA from Jessica Ridgeway suspect linked to unsolved attack, sources say
Posted on: 11:03 pm, October 21, 2012, by David Mitchell and Justin Joseph, updated on: 06:00am, October 22, 2012

WESTMINSTER, Colo. — Sunday afternoon, about a mile from where Jessica Ridgeway’s remains were found, someone walking in a field made an unsettling discovery.
Police closed the field off in crime-scene tape and performed a grid search removing bags of evidence.
A source familiar with the investigation said the person discovered a clump of blond hair which investigators believe may be Jessica Ridgeway’s.
Fox 31 Denver has learned new details about the Ridgeway murder investigation showing investigators are making progress in finding her killer.
In the days after she vanished, investigators asked the public to stop looking at what the 10-year-old girl was wearing when she vanished, and pay more particular attention to her facial features.
“She has a gap in-between her front teeth,” said Westminster police investigator Trevor Materasso.
Sources say the reason police asked the public to change their focus is because when they found Ridgeway’s book bag after her disappearance, her clothes were inside. A source said only her socks were missing.
The book bag and Ridgeway’s remains are the two connections police may have to a possible suspect.
Two separate sources familiar with the investigation told Fox 31 Denver’s Justin Joseph, during the investigation into those two items, they recovered a man’s DNA.
Sources say police matched that DNA to the DNA police recovered during another recent attempted sex assault on an adult female.
That case remains unsolved.
The link suggests the killer’s behavior may be escalating targeting both women and children.
The DNA link also explains why police have gone door-to-door in Jessica’s neighborhood collecting DNA samples.
Another source directed us to a home in Denver last week where police were arresting a registered sex-offender on unrelated warrants. That offender was then described as a person-of-interest in the investigation and DNA was taken from him.
A week later, he does not appear to be linked to the Ridgeway investigation.
Fox 31 Denver has also learned about two receipts discovered in an open field near where Ridgeway’s remains were placed.
Portions of Ridgeway’s remains were found on a black garbage bag, though it is unclear whether her remains were once inside. One of the two receipts had garbage bags as an item purchased on it.
The receipts were traced to a King Soopers near W.100th and Wadsworth Blvd., just a few miles from Jessica’s home.
Employees at the store, who Fox 31 Denver is not identifying because they are not authorized to speak on the matter, tell reporter Justin Joseph police and security guards spent days going through four months of surveillance video trying to find images of the person who bought the garbage bags.
The cashier who sold the garbage bags to the person tells Fox 31 Denver she has no specific memory of either the transaction or the man. She says she was shown the two receipts by police and says the receipts were “long” and one was in the amount of $60.
The cashier did not see the date of the receipt which she says was photocopied by police and presented to her.
Another employee says police told her the receipts were connected to the Ridgeway investigation.
“They said the receipts were found near Ridgeway’s body,” the employee said.
Police declined to comment on this report. They continue to ask the public for help in solving the crime.
If you have any information regarding the investigation, Westminster police are asking you to call the tip line at 303-658-4336, or email PDamberalert@cityofwestminster.us.

http://kdvr.com/2012/10/21/exclusive-dna-from-jessica-ridgeway-suspect-linked-to-unsolved-attack-sources-say/

Police get tuft of hair from park near where Jessica Ridgeway found
POSTED: 10/21/2012 10:13:21 PM MDT
UPDATED: 10/22/2012 08:20:01 AM MDTThe Denver Post

A Denver TV station reported Sunday night that investigators in the Jessica Ridgeway abduction and murder had received new evidence.
Investigator Trevor Materasso of the Westminster Police Department said that "60 percent" of what Fox 31 reported Sunday night was "erroneous and bad information."
He said someone walking near the park reported finding some items, including a tuft of what appeared to be blonde hair, and called police.
Materasso said there is no indication yet whether the hair are connected to the case. "We don't even know if this is dog hair yet," he said.

Read more: Police get tuft of hair from park near where Jessica Ridgeway found - The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_21825486/police-get-tuft-hair-from-park-near-where#ixzz2A2gzp7xi
Read The Denver Post's Terms of Use of its content: http://www.denverpost.com/termsofuse

Westminster Police ‏@WestminsterPD
Details may be limited to protect investigation/prosecution and for public safety #jessicaridgeway #justiceforjessica
Expand
2h Westminster Police ‏@WestminsterPD
PD ask for patience as we work to get an official update, only Westminster gives official case details #jessicaridgeway #justiceforjessica
Expand
2h Westminster Police ‏@WestminsterPD
Due to information aired by media last night, we have received numerous request for upated information. #jessicaridgeway #justiceforjessica
Expand


https://twitter.com/WestminsterPD

Westminster Police Department
Public Safety News

Arrest Made in Ridgeway Case - Press Conference at Noon

(Oct 24, 2012)



JOINT PRESS RELEASE: WESTMINSTER POLICE DEPARTMENT, JEFFERSON COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY & FBI

Law enforcement received the major break in the Jessica Ridgway investigation they have been hoping for. Late Tuesday evening police received a call that led them to a home near the Ketner Lake Open Space. With this discovery, police are able to announce we have made an arrest in the Ridgeway murder investigation. Additionally, authorities will file charges against the attacker in the May 28, 2012, attempted abduction at Ketner Lake.

Police will release additional information about the arrest at a press conference in front of the Westminster Police Department at 12:00 pm, today. (9110 Yates Street, Westminster, CO 80031).

Speakers:
Westminster Police Chief Lee Birk
FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Mike Rankin
Jefferson County District Attorney Scott Storey

At the press conference, media will be provided with a copy of the arrest and booking custody along with a photograph of the suspect. A digital copy of both will be forwarded by email once the press conference has concluded.

Police believe the public may view the suspect’s photograph and have additional information to provide to the investigation. The release of the photograph may also help authorities determine if this individual is responsible for any other crime/s, either reported or unreported. The police tip line is still operating: 303-658-4336 or email: PDamberalert@cityofwestminster.us

The identification and apprehension means residents will see increased police activity in very focused areas of our communities. A tremendous amount of investigation and follow up still needs to be conducted and police ask the public and media for their continued cooperation and understanding. Limited information can be released as both cases move into courts for prosecution.

A limited number of questions will be addressed by Investigator Trevor Materasso following the press conference. If you have any questions regarding this press release, please contact Investigator Trevor Materasso at 303-658-4427 or through email at: tmateras@cityofwestminster.us.

http://www.ci.westminster.co.us/Safety/PoliceDepartment/MediaReleases/tabid/1431/Article/900/arrest-made-in-ridgeway-case-press-conference-at-noon.aspx

Arrest made in Jessica Ridgeway case

11:23 AM, Oct 24, 2012

WESTMINSTER - Westminster Police have made an arrest in the Jessica Ridgeway case.

Westminster Police said in a press release Wednesday:

"Late Tuesday evening, police received a call that led them to a home near the Ketner Lake Open Space. With this discovery, police [announced] they made an arrest in the Ridgeway murder investigation. Additionally, authorities will file charges against the attacker in the May 28, 2012 attempted abduction at Ketner Lake."

A press conference scheduled for noon will release additional information.

9NEWS knows a copy of the arrest and booking custody along with a photograph of the suspect will be released at that press conference.

"The release of the photograph may also help authorities determine if this individual is responsible for any other crimes, either reported or unreported. The police tip line is still operating: 303-658-4336 or email: PDamberalert@cityofwestminster.us.

Westminster Police announced on Monday evening there is a direct link between the Memorial Day attempted abduction at Ketner Lake and the Jessica Ridgeway murder case.

Westminster Investigator Trevor Materasso would not say if investigators believe the same person was involved in both attacks.

"We're limited beyond that to talk in detail or give specifics on how those two connections are made," Investigator Trevor Materasso told 9NEWS.

Over the Memorial Day weekend police say a jogger was attacked from behind at Ketner Lake by a man who used a chemical-soaked rag to try and subdue her. The woman fought off her would-be abductor.

For days, police spoke of a possible connection between the Ketner Lake incident and the Jessica Ridgeway kidnapping but it wasn't until Monday that they officially linked the two cases.

Monday evening, police also told 9NEWS that they have ruled out other evidence that has been recovered as they investigate the Ridgeway case.

Most notably, police say some grocery receipts for garbage bags that were discovered after Ridgeway's body was found are not related to the case.

Meanwhile, investigators are still testing potential evidence that was found by a woman at Pattridge Park on Sunday.

The woman reported to police that she found a "clump of hair" while walking in a field.

Police collected that item and say they are not certain it is hair and are waiting for further testing to determine if it's relevant to the Ridgeway investigation.

Thousands of tips have been received in the Ridgeway case and police are still asking for the public's help.

The FBI and the Behavioral Analysis Unit are asking the public to contact authorities if anyone around them changed their behavior, acted unusual, failed to show up for a family activity or other change that was unusual on Oct. 5 and days after Jessica's disappearance and the Memorial Day weekend.

You can contact the Westminster Police Department on their tipline: 303-658-4336.

http://www.9news.com/news/article/295910/339/Arrest-made-in-Jessica-Ridgeway-case

Police: Suspect in Jessica Ridgeway murder is 17 year old boy


Read more: Police: Suspect in Jessica Ridgeway murder is 17 year old boy - The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_21844711/arrest-made-jessica-ridgeway-case#ixzz2AF0Whdug
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I hope she gets justice. The killer should pay with his life.
William

WESTMINSTER - Westminster Police have made an arrest in the Jessica Ridgeway case.

The suspect, 17-year-old Austin Reed Sigg, was taken into custody on Tuesday. Sigg is a student at Arapahoe Community College, according to the custody report released by Westminster Police.

9NEWS Investigative Reporter Jeremy Jojola was able to speak with Sigg's mother, but she did not want to comment on his arrest.....

http://www.9news.com/news/article/295910/339/Arrest-made-in-Jessica-Ridgeway-case

Poster's note: He is only 17 yrs old. How desperately sad. He could have had any number of teenage girls who seem to be very free with their bodies (that is sad too); oh why did he murder this little child? Prayers for both families throughout this tragedy.

So sad, indeed. I fear that if he's murdered a child at age 17 he's likely done other disturbed things to get to this point.

Also heart-wrenching is that this boy's mother and the mother of the two teenagers that killed 12 year old Autumn were the stoics that made phone calls to police about the possible involvement of their children in these heinous crimes. What a loving, caring and incredibly difficult thing to do. These mothers have "lost" their children too.