Jessica Ridgeway Case: 'Our Focus Has Changed From The Search For Jessica To A Mission Of Justice For Jessica,' Police Say
By P. SOLOMON BANDA 10/13/12 12:19 AM ET EDT AP



WESTMINSTER, Colo. -- A body found in a suburban Denver park was identified Friday as that of a missing 10-year-old girl, as anxious parents kept close watch over their children because of the potential presence of a predator in their midst, authorities said.

The body of Jessica Ridgeway was found Wednesday about 7 miles southwest of her home. Authorities said it was not intact, and DNA was used to identify her.

"Our focus has changed from the search for Jessica to a mission of justice for Jessica," Westminster Police Chief Lee Birk said.

"All our efforts now are in search of her abductor," he said. "We recognize there is a predator at large in our community."

Jessica began a short walk from her home to Witt Elementary School on the morning of Oct. 5 but never arrived. A massive search did not start until hours later because Jessica's mother works nights and slept through a call from school officials saying Jessica wasn't there.

The FBI has warned residents that she may have been abducted by someone they know and is asking them to be alert for people they know who might have suddenly changed their appearance or uncharacteristically missed work or appointments.
...snip...

The only substantive clue police have disclosed was the discovery two days after she disappeared of her backpack and water bottle in Superior, about six miles northwest of her home and several miles south of where her body was found. Police won't discuss what was found in the bag or test results involving it.

Law-enforcement leaders said they would not disclose further information publicly so as not to jeopardize the investigation.

They have not ruled out that the search for the suspect could be national, an FBI spokesman said.

....more at link
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/1 ... 63653.html

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

I have posted an Interactive Timeline of events in a separate reference thread
http://randomtopics.org/viewtopic.php?f=61&t=612

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Is this the man who killed Jessica? Police investigate string of attempted abductions just miles from where she vanished

• Jessica Ridgeway vanished from a Denver suburb last Friday - her body was found on Wednesday and positively identified on Thursday
  
• Police are desperately hunting for a suspect, parents ruled out
  
• Now investigating two other attempted abductions that took place nearby just weeks before Jessica went missing

By Daily Mail Reporters
PUBLISHED: 13:54 GMT, 14 October 2012 | UPDATED: 17:39 GMT, 14 October 2012


Suspect: This police sketch of a man who attempted to abduct two children in September is being circulated in hopes that it could lead to a break in the Jessica Ridgeway case

Police are searching for a man involved in two attempted abductions near Denver elementary schools in the weeks before Jessica Ridgeway disappeared.

Jessica, 10, vanished on the morning of October 5. Her mother reported her missing after she received a phone call saying the girl had not arrived at her school.

Her dismembered body was found about seven miles from her home on October 10.

The first incident dates back to September 9 when a child was approached by a man near Quaker Acres Park in Arvada located very close to Warder Elementary School.

The suspect allegedly offered candy to the child in question- whose age and sex have not been released.

Just three days later, a similar incident occurred near Fitzmorris Elementary School.

Both children ran away quickly and told adults.

According to CBS 4, the incidents prompted county school officials to circulate a warning letter to all principals in the area warning of the man, thought to be between the ages of 20 and 40 years old with a short beard, brown hair, driving a blue four-door sedan.



......more at link
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... ished.html

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Jessica Ridgeway Killing: Police Look for Suspect in Two Near-Abductions
By ANTHONY CASTELLANO
Oct. 15, 2012

Police in Arvada, Colo., are looking for a man suspected of trying to abduct two children a few weeks before 10-year-old Jessica Ridgeway's killing to see whether there is a possible connection.

In two reported incidents on Sept. 9 and Sept. 12, Arvada police said an 8- and 9-year-old were nearly abducted, according to police.

"Both of them said they were offered candy to get into the vehicle. In both incidences, they knew to run and tell an adult," Arvada police spokeswoman Jill McGranahan told ABC News affiliate KMGH-TV.

Jessica's body was found Oct. 10 in an Arvada park, seven miles from her home in Westminster, Colo.

Meanwhile, police in Cody, Wyo., announced that a man suspected in a child abduction case was arrested Sunday in Belgrade, Mont. Authorities in the Ridgeway case do not believe there is a connection.

With no major breaks in the case, residents in and around Jessica's hometown are on edge. A report that a man in a car tried to kidnap a 13-year-old boy in Jefferson County, Colo., this weekend turned out to be false.

...more at link
http://abcnews.go.com/US/jessica-ridgew ... HxQfmdSTTw

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

A note of caution:

I see the lynch mob went into a feeding frenzy yesterday... "outing" the suspect in Wyoming.. not only naming him as the perp in this case, but posting details of his friends and family... his social media accounts etc. They were even convinced his photography contained hidden clues.
LE have announced that the Cody, Wyo suspect is NOT related to this case.

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Police pursuing all tips in Jessica Ridgeway murder case
Updated: 10/15/2012 05:31:45 AM MDT
By Ryan Parker and Tom McGhee

Investigators are working in shifts around the clock on the slaying of 10-year-old Jessica Ridgeway, soliciting and following every tip — and expecting to face false alarms and dead ends.

With everyone on edge, especially parents, police expect to be notified of all suspicious activity and people, said Cheri Spottke, a Westminster police spokeswoman.

That is how police want it.

"Call all tips in, and let police decide," Spottke said.

Police expect most people in the community will understand if they are contacted concerning a tip, even if it is a false alarm.

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_21773 ... geway-case

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

What do his friends and family have to do with HIS actions?! Don't they ever learn???

_________________

They are in the "Oh dear how horrible, we support the victim stage"

But of course are thrashing around looking for somebody to HATE.

I am not saying we should not feel disgust and anger at whoever did this..... but it needs to be the RIGHT person and that "hate" should not spill over to everybody associated with him. If a suspect does come to light... the EVIDENCE will still need to be evaluated. We need an investigation and trial and not a lynching.

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Jessica Ridgeway autopsy done, blood and chemical test results may take weeks
10-year-old disappeared walking to school
Posted: 10/16/2012
Last Updated: 2 hours ago
By: Deb Stanley

JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. - The Jefferson County coroner's office has finished its autopsy on 10-year-old Jessica Ridgeway, who was abducted blocks from her home and found dead last week.

However, the report on her cause of death may take weeks.

That's because coroner John Graham told 7NEWS he is waiting for blood work and chemical tests results.

The girl's remains were found last Wednesday at an Arvada open space park. Police said the body was not "intact." Sources told 7NEWS her body had been dismembered and pieces of her body are still missing.

AirTracker 7 flew over the area shortly after the body was discovered. AirTracker video showed that the remains were found near a culvert, and had been placed on a black plastic bag when investigators were looking at it. It's not clear if the body had been in the bag.

The remains were found by maintenance workers who were doing routine cleanup of the culvert.
...snip....

Investigators are now working their way through nearly 4,000 tips and encourage anyone with any information to come forward. A tip from the community could break the case, authorities said.

FBI spokesman Dave Joly said the suspect could "be your boss, your friend" or a family member.

The FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit said that often, someone in the community will unknowingly be associated with the offender of the crime, and may be in a position to observe behavioral changes in that person.

They will recognize the changes, and may even question the person about it, but may not relate the changes to that person’s involvement in the crime.


...more at link
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/lo ... um=twitter

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

More than 2,000 attend Jessica Ridgeway's memorial
P. Solomon Banda, Associated Press

12:19PM EDT October 17. 2012 - ARVADA, Colo. (AP) — More than 2,000 family members, friends, neighbors and others gathered Tuesday to remember a 10-year-old suburban Denver girl who was abducted on her way to school and killed.

As the public memorial for Jessica Ridgeway was held, the search for her killer continued, with multiple agencies checking leads and asking for more tips.

Westminster Police Chief Lee Birk said at the evening service that investigators are working the case "tirelessly, diligently, and we are committed until we achieve justice for Jessica." Earlier, police said they had received more than 350 more phone tips Tuesday.

The ceremony at Faith Bible Chapel in Arvada opened with a slideshow of pictures set to Jessica's favorite songs, including Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepsen. Many attendees wore the fifth-grader's favorite color, purple.

....more at link
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nati ... l/1638581/

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Tips pouring in but no break in investigation in Jessica Ridgeway case
By Tom McGhee
The Denver Post
Posted: 10/17/2012 12:21:35 PM MDT

Tips continue to pour in as investigators seek the killer of 10-year-old Jessica Ridgeway, whose body was found in an Arvada open space Oct. 10.

Members of 35 local, state and federal law enforcement agencies are involved in the case.

On Tuesday alone 289 tips flowed into a hotline set up to take information.

The number of leads that have been and continue to be investigated is 1,384.

"A massive amount of work continues. We are following up on quite a lot of leads, but there is nothing of significance so far in the case," said Westminster Police Department spokesman Trevor Materasso.

The Jefferson County Coroner's office is still seeking a cause of death for the child who disappeared from her Westminster neighborhood after she left for school on Oct. 5.

"There is a piece of the investigative team that performs autopsies, but there is other information that (coroners) do. We don't know if that is complete," said Materasso.

....more at link
http://www.coloradodaily.com/ci_2179285 ... z29darPtoC

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

So sad. Hope they can find a crime scene unless they have and didn't say or I missed it.

I have not heard of a "crime scene"... other than where the body was discovered

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Police seek links between Jessica Ridgeway and May incident nearby
Posted: 10/19/2012 12:01:00 AM MDT
Updated: 10/19/2012 02:12:07 AM MDT
By Joey Bunch
The Denver Post

For the first time in the Jessica Ridgeway murder case, investigators released the description of man who used a chemical-soaked rag in an unsuccessful attempt to abduct a 22-year-old woman near Ketner Lake on May 28.

Police stressed in their announcement Thursday that they are linking the two cases in "an attempt to uncover any lead" in Jessica Ridgeway's Oct. 5 abduction and subsequent slaying and dismemberment.

"Police are trying to determine if there is any connection between the two cases," authorities said in a bulletin to media.

Ketner Lake Open Space is about a half-mile from Jessica's home and just south of Witt Elementary School, where she was headed that Friday morning, though she never made it.

On May 28, the young woman said she was grabbed by a man described as white or light-skinned and between 18 and 30 years old, with brown hair and a medium build. He was about 5 feet 8 inches tall.

The woman had initially jogged past the man, police said, then he grabbed her from behind "trying to put a rag over her mouth. She said the rag had a chemical smell on it. She was able to get away and called 911 from her cellphone."

Law enforcement has no description of a vehicle related to that case, police said.

...more at link
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_21806 ... ay-and-may

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Jessica Ridgeway latest news: Cross found at crime scene may belong to killer
Jessica Ridgeway
October 19, 2012
By: Charisse Van Horn



On October 19, 2012, the Westminster Police Department provided an update on the Jessica Ridgeway case through their official Facebook and Twitter accounts. In a press release, the Westminster Police stated a cross was located at the crime scene where Jessica Ridgeway’s dismembered body was found and they believe it may belong to her killer. Authorities described the cross as a potential piece of evidence that may become the missing link that ultimately identifies the 10-year-old girl’s murderer. You may see photos of the cross in the slideshow player above.

It is unclear whether the cross was worn as a necklace or part of a rosary. The cross has a hole drilled at the top and features three vertical bars on the cross section. The Westminster Police described the cross as following, “Police recovered a wooden cross that is approximately 1 ½ inches tall by 1 inch wide. The cross has a hole drilled through the upper part and appears that it can be or was worn on a necklace. On one side of the cross are three vertical bars etched onto the shorter horizontal section and a zigzag pattern is carved onto the opposite side. The cross appears to be a solid piece of wood and the upper post portion is offset from the lower post below the short horizontal section.”

...more at link
http://www.examiner.com/article/jessica ... -to-killer

5 cross images in Documents thread
http://randomtopics.org/viewtopic.php?f=82&t=612&p=16319#p16319

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Jessica Ridgeway: What happened to the Colorado girl?
Posted: 10/21/2012 12:01:00 AM MDT
By Eric Gorski and Jeremy P. Meyer
The Denver Post

She walked out the door, and she was gone.

The 10-year-old girl with the gap in her front teeth, who liked to play cheerleader and waitress, giggled a lot, loved the color purple and couldn't wait to be a teenager, was on her way to school, alone.

She was supposed to meet a friend, a boy her age. The 1,000-foot walk down the street to his home should have taken four minutes, maybe five.

But Jessica Ridgeway, bundled against the cold in a black puffy jacket, never arrived.

The hours and days that followed brought confusion and false leads, moments of hope and dread, leading to the devastating announcement a week after her disappearance that human remains found in a desolate open-space park 9 miles from her home were Jessica's.
...snip...

Police have been careful to not divulge too much about the case, walking a fine line between advising the public of a genuine threat and inciting panic. Nevertheless, young students throughout metro Denver are now escorted to and from school, and children in public without an adult nearby are a rare sight.

More than 4,000 tips have flooded the suburban police department, which is getting assistance from about 1,000 law enforcement personnel from 40 agencies — including local, state and federal forces.

...more at link
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_21820 ... orado-girl

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

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: 11:36am, 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.
...snip....

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.

...more at link
http://kdvr.com/2012/10/21/exclusive-dn ... urces-say/

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

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 MDT
The 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.

"Like everything else, every tip we've gotten, it was taken and we'll take a look at it to see if it's connected," he said.


...more at link
http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ ... z2A2yB2bYi

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

That cross seems so distinctive and I hope someone recognizes it.

Now we have a 12-year-old NJ girl missing. So sad

Yes the cross is distinctive...assuming it belonged to the perp...but did he ever reveal it to anybody?

It is Extremely sad that these cases are NOT uncommon.. any number of missing/murdered children across USA and the rest of the world. It is "unfair" that just a select few seem to raise people's interest.
Obviously no site can cover them all ... I only chose this case because it had attracted a lot of posting elsewhere.

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light