October 5, 2012, Jessica Ridgewaya 10 -year -old girl resident in WestminsterColorado, disappeared in the morning while heading to the Witt Elementary schoollocated approximately 1.6 kilometers from your home. According to CBS Newsthe child used to meet her friends in a park on the way to school, but that Friday she did not arrive at the park or the educational establishment.
By noticing his absence, school staff contacted the mother of Jessica Around 10 in the morning and left a voice message. However, the mother, who was asleep at that time, did not receive the message until later. It was then that he notified the police about his daughter’s disappearance.
Subsequently, a Warning Amber And extensive searches began to locate Jessica. According to The Denver Postthe authorities gathered hundreds of samples of ADN of people from the neighborhood during the initial investigation.
Two days after the disappearance of Jessica Ridgewaythe authorities found their backpack soaked with urine remains and their glasses. Not being close to the child, the discovery intensified the concerns about the girl’s well -being.
Less than a week after the disappearance was reported, the dismembered remains of Jessica They were located inside black bags in a field in the nearby town of Arvadaaccording to The Denver Post. This macabre finding transformed the child’s search into a homicide investigation.
After the discovery of the girl’s remains, the investigation took a decisive turn. He FBI He joined the case and spread a behavioral profile of the possible author of the crime, according to ABC News. This strategy sought to identify behavior patterns that could help to strengthen the circle of suspects.
In parallel, the Local Police carried out a massive collection of DNA samples of the residents of the area. The Denver Post He pointed out that hundreds of samples were obtained, with the purpose of comparing them with the material found in the evidence recovered in the crime scene and other personal objects of Jessica.
On October 23, 2012 there was a crucial advance in the investigation when Mindy Siggmother of Austin Siggmade a 911 call in communication, which was obtained by CBS4the woman said: “Hello, I need them to come home. My son wants to surrender for the murder of Jessica Ridgeway.”
Before the operator’s questions, the mother clarified that her child had confessed the crime and provided specific details, including that the remains of Jessica They were in their home.
During that call, Mindy passed the phone to his son. Austin, 17, declared: “I don’t understand exactly why these questions ask me. I murdered Jessica Ridgeway.”
In addition, Austin admitted to having previously attacked a broker and acknowledged having weapons at home. “I have knives in my room, and we have some firearms, but, I am delivering completely, there will be no resistance,” he said.
According to The Denver Post, Austin Sigg He confessed to the police that he had captured Jessica Ridgeway as she passed with her vehicle. Without having had previous contact with the victim, he forced her to get on the back seat of her car and tied her wrists and ankles using plastic tapes.
In the interrogations, Austin said: “He lied. He said that everything was going to be fine. He only lied to him.” Subsequently, he transferred Jessica to her mother’s house, located approximately 1.6 kilometers from where she had kidnapped her. There, he strangled her and dismembered her body.
Although he initially denied having sexually assaulted the girl, he later admitted that crime. Jessica’s missing remains were recovered by the authorities in a small space under the floor of Austin’s mother’s house.
At the end of October 2012, Austin Sigg He was accused as a first -degree murder adult, sexual assault, kidnapping and other positions linked to the death of the child. During the investigation there were also materials of child sexual abuse, which led to the added positions for child sexual exploitation.
In addition to crimes related to Jessicafaced positions separated by the kidnapping attempt of a 22 -year -old broker, an incident that, according to NBC Newsit had happened months before the murder.
In October 2013, two days before his trial for murder began, Austin He declared himself guilty of 15 positions related to both cases, the media reported. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with the possibility of probation after 40 years. He could not be sentenced to the death penalty because he was less than 18 years old at the time of crime.
During the trial, the defense argued that not treated mental health problems had affected Austin’s ability to understand his actions. However, the Prosecutor’s Office said, according to KDVRthat “is someone who obtains pleasure of pain. He obtains pleasure of dismemberment. Any statement that this man lacked the executive function to plan and execute a plan is refuted by his actions.”
Jessica’s grandmother, present at the sentence hearing, described Austin as “monster” that “destroyed the core of our family,” he reported KDVR.
The death of Jessica Ridgeway He left a deep mark on the Westminster community and its surroundings. To honor his memory, the Jessica Ridgeway Memorial Park In the same park where she used to meet her friends before heading to school.
According to the park’s website, butterflies and purple tones were incorporated – Jessica’s favorite – to reflect his “playful spirit.” Every year, the park is used by hundreds of children and adults for recreational activities, moments of reflection and to remember Jessica.
