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

[Reannan]

From peters profiling.

Trucker? I hadnt really thought of that. He would have to live local in order to not be super obvious, or have a rental car.

I just keep thinking that there were 8 hours from time of abduction to time of report. The perp could have killed her within an hour and been in UT, KS, WY or NM. If it was a trucker, possibly he came back through a few days later and dropped off the backpack.

He also mentioned construction worker. I know several people who have been traveling for construction work. So maybe it was someone who is working there during the week and is gone on weekends. Say he grabbed Jessica Friday morning then headed home to UT (an example). Sunday night he heads back to town for work and drops the backpack.

I think he stayed in the area at least until the body was disposed of.... and that brings up a good question - can LE tell the time of death from the remains they recovered? I am CERTAIN they can come close. Nothing has been mentioned about that yet. I pray it was soon after she was abducted because I can't bear to think otherwise. That's it... I can't take anymore tonight. Off to bed.

 

[margarita25]

Ok. Something just hit me, an alternate to one of a million scrambled thoughts / ideas / possible theories re: the backpack:

As a former resident of Superior and the same subdivision where the backpack was found, I can tell you that there is not a strong LE presence there. So as to not reveal my identity incase the perp is local and reading this, I can not elaborate further, but it has to do with jurisdictions. After 9pm, Superior goes to sleep. There is no activity in the neighborhoods, only a few places open in the area after 9. What if the guy was out having some drinks (There is a strong link to alcohol abuse and child abduction murders, as mentioned in the statistical analysis / great article: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/Digitization/201253NCJRS.pdf

Perhaps he still had the backpack, hadn't decided what he was going to do with it yet, and saw a cop behind him or got paranoid about being pulled over on his way home and having the backpack searched...so he panicked, and put it there....he knew it was quiet as a mouse, no cops around, that it would blend in for long enough in a residential neighborhood with kids for him to clear the area...I know, it does seem like it was a purposeful thing, intentionally planned and placed, but I'm just brainstorming here from a local perspective and alternate viewpoint...people are very paranoid about DUIs up here, as they should be. (I got to say, this state seems to be the most responsible place I've ever lived, as related to people drinking and driving.)


EDIT: OK, THIS IS WISHFUL THINKING ON MY PART, the placement was probably intentional and part of his sinister game, don't know what I was thinking.

 

[Harmony 2]

Dr. Erica Hutton, a forensic psychologist, wrote "The Psychological Associations of Dismemberment in Crime Scenes" which may give further insight.

http://ericahutton.blogspot.com/2011/03/psychological-associations-of.html

 

[JaimeInLA]

I think that there are a lot of assumptions in the post. We do not know exactly where Jessica's remains were found. We do not know if she was easily visible, or whether the trash collectors discovered her in the black trash bag that is also part of the collected evidence. We simply don't have enough information to assume that she was posed at a tree for all the world to see. We don't even know for sure whether she was found near the culvert or the tree.

"However, the video also shows that the body is small, and does not appear to be that of an adult victim. It was found next to a culvert, and also appeared to be near a black garbage bag."

http://www.abc15.com/dpp/news/natio...-missing-10-year-old-not-intact#ixzz29QVdpwbM

<modsnip>. The video is still on the Internet for anyone who cares to see it. I found it on YouTube by searching Yahoo Videos for Jessica Ridgeway body. It is the one that comes up that says "over 18 only, graphic". <modsnip>

 

[mck16]

Simply do not know how to respond.......can some one respond for me ...Please

Maybe good points, but personally think his closing was kind of SA So those are my first thoughts. Feel free to use them, I won't post them, I am busy with some other cases anyway.

Peter

JMO

 

[alwaysonmymind]

I don't see this as SA. I'm glad he took the time to message what he did.

Jmo



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[msthinksalot]

All this talk about dismemberment is actually making me feel physically ill.

At this point, I'm not sure that ruminating on it will shed any more light on the situation... ? Without a doubt, whomever did this is a Grade-A Creepo. I think our energies are better spent opening our minds to possibilities and places and opportunities this creep may have taken. We could literally banter for days about whether we think the "un-intact" state of the body was caused by the perp or by wildlife, but I'm not so sure that this one detail, as disturbing as it is, is any more important than any other detail.

 

[iamnotagolem]

What is SA?

 

[RoseTree]

When they had the balloon release in the park where she was supposed to meet her friends I instantly thought her killer would probably be there. It gave me the shivers just thinking of all those kids there with balloons for this creep to scope out.

BTW, first post on WS here. I'm not really sure where to start! I've been lurking from my iPhone for several days because I'm too lazy to log in and type with my iPhone and I dislike using the desktop, but I finally did it

A little about me: married, mom of two, and have lived in the Denver metro area for about seven months. (Transplant from Charleston, SC.) I'm an anthropology major and considering child advocacy law as a career.

Little Jessica was taken on my son's third birthday this year and anytime I hear of a child dying or going missing on a happy day in my life it makes me feel strangely guilty. For my daughter's fourth birthday (October 9) we were actually in Westminster at the Butterfly Pavilion and all I could think about was how they were still looking for her and how could all these people in this community just go on knowing someone was missing and in danger.

Earlier this summer we attended a little friend's birthday party at a large park in Westminster and I noticed that it is a lovely community (like many suburbs of Denver tend to be) and this one had a noticeable police presence - not because of a high crime rate, but to make it known that their force is no-nonsense. Obviously this person who did this is daring, to say they least - the way he taunted LE and the FBI with this child's backpack and took his time with disposing of her body - but to do it in a town where LE is quite vigilant really worries me. We live in an equally quiet suburb of Denver and only about a 20 minute drive from Westminster/Arvada, and I've been even more of a helicopter parent than I already am since October 5 because of what has happened to this poor little girl. I'm pretty sure all of our newly-made friends think I'm insane now. :|

EDIT: Lots of people call me Sass (hence, sassysleuth). You are all welcome to do the same!

Welcome Sass! Our kids share a birthday, I have a 10/9 five year old.

 

[sassysleuth]

Welcome Sass! Our kids share a birthday, I have a 10/9 five year old.

Thanks Rose! Octobabies are the best!

Woe.be.gone - thanks for the welcome too! Love your name; reminds me of A Prairie Home Companion.

 

[K.jill]

What is SA?

I think it means smart a..

 

[RoseTree]

I don't believe she was killed where she was found.
Too big of a risk.
I don't think he is wanting to get caught.

I definitely do not think that she was killed where she was found. That would almost literally be out in the open for passers by. I don't know why NG thinks that.

 

[KaylynnCouture]

Peters profile was really interesting and, in my opinion, extremely accurate. It is just scary to think the perp will most likely strike again if not caught soon.

 

[otto]

Regarding the assumption that because Jessica may have been found near a tree, she must have been visible and displayed. I completely disagree with this. Flowers were left at the base of a tree, but that does not mean that she was found at that spot. Here, we can see that there is a depression in the ground near the tree.

 

[carbuff]

Peter's point #8 about what kind of psychopath and postulating a previous murder 5-8 years ago led me to this: Neveah Gallegos, killed by her mother's boyfriend five years ago. From Wikipedia, bbm:

"Neveah, dressed in red sweat pants, a red shirt with a cartoon character on it and pink tennis shoes, was found on September 24, 2007,[5] three days after being reported missing, in a white plastic trash bag under a tree stump in a ravine. She was found about 2 miles from the couple's apartment.[2] At the time cause of death was undetermined,[5] though it was later determined to be asphyxiation.[6] On September 25, 2007, a candlelight vigil was held for her, with dozens of people placing flowers and stuffed toys at the ravine where Neveah was found.[7] A permanent memorial was dedicated to Neveah on November 2, 2007.[8]"([ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Neveah_Gallegos"]Murder of Neveah Gallegos - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame])

This article says the ravine where the body was found was in Lakewood/Dry Gulch Park: http://blogs.westword.com/latestwor...icted_murder_child_neveah_miriam_gallegos.php

Now I'm definitely not saying that I think Neveah's killers are responsible for Jessica's death. Montoya got a life sentence and Miriam Gallegos got 12 years. I am thinking that the location of Jessica's remains is a rather strange coincidence, especially considering that her backpack was found near the home of another child murderer.

Really, really, really strange.

eta: yes, I know we don't know Jessica was at the base of a tree. But she was close to the only tree around. I'm looking to see if I can find a picture of Neveah's site.

eta2: you don't suppose this is somebody who thinks somebody in Jessica's family was responsible for his child's death??? CB goes for tinfoil hat

eta3: this article has a video of a memorial service for Neveah, held last May. The terrain looks kind of similar but it's hard to tell. I'll keep looking for something better.

 

[otto]

I think he stayed in the area at least until the body was disposed of.... and that brings up a good question - can LE tell the time of death from the remains they recovered? I am CERTAIN they can come close. Nothing has been mentioned about that yet. I pray it was soon after she was abducted because I can't bear to think otherwise. That's it... I can't take anymore tonight. Off to bed.

Stomach contents would certainly tell some of the story. Blood tests would determine whether drugs were used. I'm pretty sure that the killer did not anticipate that Jessica would be found so quickly.

 

[RoseTree]

Regarding the assumption that because Jessica may have been found near a tree, she must have been visible and displayed. I completely disagree with this. Flowers were left at the base of a tree, but that does not mean that she was found at that spot. Here, we can see that there is a depression in the ground near the tree.

I don't think that her body was really out in the open, and I appreciate this photo. I do believe that the perp was potentially visible while he was placing the body there. Obviously, she would have been likely seen from the road if she were out in the open, per se.

 

[flyingsquirrel]

Just a quick local perspective before calling it a night. The weather on Fri 10/5 and Sat 10/6 was unseasonably cold and wet. No one in their right mind was outside on either of those 2 days or nights for more than a brief period of time. With the backpack likely being placed on Sat night, probably not someone hiking/ walking as others have been talking abt.

 

[sassysleuth]

I don't believe she was killed where she was found.
Too big of a risk.
I don't think he is wanting to get caught.

ITA. There are so many variables; based upon the fact that we don't know what sort of car he's using he could have done most of it there - but I hypothesize it is more likely he took her back to his home and down into the basement (the large majority of homes in Denver metro have basements. We are currently house hunting ourselves. Don't even get me started on the "FBI interrogation room" we stumbled upon in one basement in Arvada!). Peter's profile assessment of the perp sounds plausible to me. He wants people to know about him, but he's nowhere near interested in being apprehended.

 

[RoseTree]

I appreciate Peter's thoughts on the matter. Details like that the perp likely got gas that morning, etc... are things I hadn't thought of. I hope that they are closing in on someone.