CO - Jessica Ridgeway, 10, Westminster, 5 Oct 2012 - #13

[NC Analyzer]

During the service, the Pastor said that Jessica had attended there with friends, in the past.

Thanks! Good to know. I didn't watch the service in its entirety so I had no idea. (watched the debate and caught the memorial in bits and pieces on the live feed)

 

[Ransom]

Was there a catholic priest at the services? tia

No. I watched the entire service live.

 

[IzzyBlanche]

Whether or not Jessica was Catholic, most people of all ages would not instinctively fear someone they thought was a priest.

Very interesting idea.

 

[nursebeeme]

I checked with 3 Spanish woodcarver artisans here in Santa Fe (area). SF is about 6 1/2 hours from Westminster, Co.

Their opinion (not mine)
hand made
off set is not unique
looked like it had been in water
electric saw used to cut top, bottom and sides (chipped where saw cut)
hole drilled with an electric drill
hole in the wrong place for a necklace - would tip forward
hole too new looking to have been worn with leather/chain
"thought" it might have been used as a pocket cross
thickness threw them off for a necklace too - way too thick
3 lines - they had no clue - too crudely made
zig zag on back - best guess (since I told them it "could" be connected to a murder) was it's the old symbol for fear. Just a guess though since too crudely made.

Left Westminster LE email and phone # with them and asked them to check around with others.

that is some great information

 

[revampz]

fwiw..I had the same thought. Wooden crosses are quite popular amongst the younger generation IMO

I too had the same thought........a religious older man would probably wear a gold cross on a gold chain...

These type of crosses are popular with younger hippier, bohemian types and worn with a black leather flat string.....I actually have a wooden cross like this that had one of the flat leather shoelace ties. They are probably more popular with girls, so maybe he took it from a girlfriends, sisters collection or similar.


My thinking at this stage, is that this guy has had urges for a while hence the attempted abductions. I think he has put this near the body parts...ugh, maybe because he finally acted on those urges and then had tremendous guilt.

Like Nursebeme and a few others have said, the police are then trying to see if this is linked to the abductions in Kender.

However my only problem with that is werent they adult women??? for those who have been on here a while and seen serials, have you seen someone go from wanting to rape women to crossing over to little girls??

Maybe he has had those urges and saw her, a female, walking by herself and it was too much to resist and too easy......could also be the reason for the cross, absolute guilt over killing a little girl...

just a couple of thoughts.

 

[k4kathy]

I found this interesting article about using "awareness space" to help narrow down a list of possible perpetrators. I thought it might be useful to those of you working so diligently on this case. Kudos to everyone who has put in so much time and effort already! Here is a clip from the article:



http://www.boulderweekly.com/articl...ss-lsawareness-spacers-may-lead-to-clues.html

I've read somewhere that it's usually within a 15 mile radius.

 

[kevmoley]

It looks like a wooden holding Comfort Cross I saw being sold in Bethlehem (Holy Land).. they had keychains, bracelets, etc.. Usually Olive wood

 

[matou]

Could the zigzag be the "S" in Slayer (thrash metal band)?

 

[nutkin]

I believe you can find specific weather conditions on any given date in some almanacs.


It regularly rains in my backyard, but not my front yard, and vice versa.

 

[MarthaM]

I think the cross looks very ordinary, and similar to the type of thing you find in the 'novelty' section in convenience stores, souvenir shops, etc. Could also be homemade.

To me, it looks more like it goes on a keyring rather than a necklace.

 

[thess]

During the service, the Pastor said that Jessica had attended there with friends, in the past.

If this tangent is trying to determine Jessica's family's church denomination (is that the right word?), the wording above reminds me of the fact that I "attended" Mormon church (or what they send the young kids to) a few times as a kid "with friends", but my family was definitely not Mormon, or religious. It was more a social thing.

 

[BlueIris]

This was a great post, thank you
(I'm a long time lurker in Jess' threads)

In re-examining this photo, I'm now asking myself the following:

When was this photo taken?
If it was taken just as the crime scene was found, and investigation began, they wouldn't have had the firetruck there yet - so the markers could still be from the WM truck. I don't think they required the firetruck til later as it was there for light. I'm thinking its early on as the tarp that showed up in later photos over the culvert isn't pictured here yet.

either that, or this was when the crime scene was wrapping up? Can we get a date on this photo somehow?

That might solve the issue of whether the orange marks are for the WM truck's original position, or the firetruck?

 

[Lava]

Dh took one look at that cross and said "it's a priest, Catholic". He went to Catholic school in Denver, elementary & high schools.

JR's family is catholic. kids trust priests.

I don't know how this didn't click when I saw the cross. Several days ago when doing general research on this I came across a comment on a news story that led to a blog blaming a priest for this! It looks like COMPLETE psycho babble! It doesn't just have to do with Jessica, it looks like they tacked on Jessica to their list of grievances. This is so frustrating because I know I can't link to it and can't name any names or anything, but I am SURE some other people have come across the same info. I remember thinking the other day "These people are crazy, I'd hope they wouldn't do something to bring attention to their accusations".

 

[Rougelatete]

I too had the same thought........a religious older man would probably wear a gold cross on a gold chain...

These type of crosses are popular with younger hippier, bohemian types and worn with a black leather flat string.....I actually have a wooden cross like this that had one of the flat leather shoelace ties. They are probably more popular with girls, so maybe he took it from a girlfriends, sisters collection or similar.


My thinking at this stage, is that this guy has had urges for a while hence the attempted abductions. I think he has put this near the body parts...ugh, maybe because he finally acted on those urges and then had tremendous guilt.

Like Nursebeme and a few others have said, the police are then trying to see if this is linked to the abductions in Kender.

However my only problem with that is werent they adult women??? for those who have been on here a while and seen serials, have you seen someone go from wanting to rape women to crossing over to little girls??

Maybe he has had those urges and saw her, a female, walking by herself and it was too much to resist and too easy......could also be the reason for the cross, absolute guilt over killing a little girl...

just a couple of thoughts.

BBM. If he had (at least) two unsuccessful abductions of adult women and was getting frustrated that he wasn't able to get what he wanted....it's completely plausible that he would have sought out a more vulnerable victim who was less able to defend herself (because of age, height, weight, etc). It also appears he might have had a couple of practice rounds with attempted luring of children that did not pan out either. Perhaps he went back to an old, familiar practice of using a rag with some kind of chemical on it to subdue JR when the candy lure didn't work.

 

[Ransom]

that is some great information

I went to the 3 that know me, since I have purchased items from them and would welcome me. The High Road to Taos is filled with many, many Spanish artisans that have lived on the old Spanish land grants for over 100's of years. They are all preparing for the Winter Spanish Market in Santa Fe, the first weekend in Dec, and they will hopefully talk about this cross and turn in any info as they prepare.

 

[nutkin]

I too had the same thought........a religious older man would probably wear a gold cross on a gold chain...

These type of crosses are popular with younger hippier, bohemian types and worn with a black leather flat string.....I actually have a wooden cross like this that had one of the flat leather shoelace ties. They are probably more popular with girls, so maybe he took it from a girlfriends, sisters collection or similar.


My thinking at this stage, is that this guy has had urges for a while hence the attempted abductions. I think he has put this near the body parts...ugh, maybe because he finally acted on those urges and then had tremendous guilt.

Like Nursebeme and a few others have said, the police are then trying to see if this is linked to the abductions in Kender.

However my only problem with that is werent they adult women??? for those who have been on here a while and seen serials, have you seen someone go from wanting to rape women to crossing over to little girls??

Maybe he has had those urges and saw her, a female, walking by herself and it was too much to resist and too easy......could also be the reason for the cross, absolute guilt over killing a little girl...

just a couple of thoughts.

There was a show on Investigation Discovery where a man tried to abduct a woman in her apartment parking lot. She fought him back and resisted and he finally just took off. So, he ended up abducting, raping, and murdering a little girl instead because he couldn't control an adult woman.

 

[Ransom]

If this tangent is trying to determine Jessica's family's church denomination (is that the right word?), the wording above reminds me of the fact that I "attended" Mormon church (or what they send the young kids to) a few times as a kid "with friends", but my family was definitely not Mormon, or religious. It was more a social thing.

True, but IF the Ridgeways were Catholic, I believe a priest would have helped at her memorial service. JMO.

 

[sfbaynancydrew]

Back in my day, the altar boys (Catholic) wore wooden crosses around their neck on a white string. They were pretty heavy pieces from what I recall. They weren't off center like this one, but that one might have just been handmade, thus not quite perfect.

It also doesn't look like a tau rosary cross to--those are a pretty clearly defined "T" shape.

And definitely not satanic or it would have been made to hang upside down lol.

Oh and looks like purple heart wood.

 

[fhc]

I am perpetual skim reader, so forgive me if my speculation is repetitive. I am wondering if the 3 lines on the cross represent the trinity (Father, Son and Holy Ghost).

WELCOME perfectingpink

 

[thess]

BBM. If he had (at least) two unsuccessful abductions of adult women and was getting frustrated that he wasn't able to get what he wanted....it's completely plausible that he would have sought out a more vulnerable victim who was less able to defend herself (because of age, height, weight, etc). It also appears he might have had a couple of practice rounds with attempted luring of children that did not pan out either. Perhaps he went back to an old, familiar practice of using a rag with some kind of chemical on it to subdue JR when the candy lure didn't work.

I usually don't participate in the highly speculative/motive-based stuff very much ("just the facts" for me), but one thing that's always struck me about Jessica's photos--and to be fair I can't look at many of them, the photos of her alive/happy are more poignant and hurtful to me than looking at crime scene stuff all day--is the way she already sort of looked like a little grown-up lady. More so than with other kids that age, you could already see just what she'd look like as an adult. I'm sure part of it was the glasses, but part of it was her face and demeanor.