CO - Jessica Ridgeway, 10, Westminster, 5 Oct 2012 - #18

[otto]

Denver area weather varies a lot depending on location. These weather records are from DIA, a long way from Jessica's neighborhood and several hundred feet lower in elevation.

Rocky Mountain Airport in Broomfield is only about a half mile away from Jessica's home. If we could find weather records from that airport, it would give us a much better idea of conditions for her walk to school that fateful morning.

The weather records are from Denver, which according to my research is 10 miles driving distance from Westminster.

 

[GrainneDhu]

In the above linked newsreport (from yesterday) the police is saying:

Quote:
Police also warned that the killer is "still in the community."

Quote:
"We don't have the perpetrator identified," Materasso said. "He is still in the community and considering the heinous nature of Jessica's case, we have to be even more careful that we're not disclosing information that could hinder our ability to identify or apprehend the suspect."

If police don´t know the killers identity but DO know he is still in the area, IMO this means that; the killer is communicating with police in a way so they know he is still in the area, that could be Denver area postmark on a letterenvelope/postcard, phonecall they know was made in the Denver area etc.

Or LE is playing the odds: the crime seems to indicate local knowledge, so the perp is probably still around.

I'm a bit jaded from all the cases I've followed where LE said "there is no predator" and then later found out it was indeed a predator.

 

[ChuckMaureen]

I believe I see a fingerprint pattern on the back of the cross, far left side of the horizontal piece, appears at lower left in this image:

http://i2.cdn.turner.com/dr/hln/www/release/sites/default/files/imagecache/gallery_780x583/2012/10/22/3.jpg

 

[ZhaZhaHa]

IMO, it doesn't make sense on that snowy morning and freezing temps to walk to a friends house out of the way to get a ride or walk further on to school together if that was the case.

It wasn't THAT snowy that day. It snowed, yes, but it was a first snow kind of snow. Just a dusting that didn't stick (think more like light rain). There also wouldn't have been footprints (I saw somebody mention that in the last thread), and temp was about 32-37, depending on the area and the time (it was 37 in Boulder that morning).

Snow in Colorado (Denver Metro and along the Front Range), is different than a lot of places. It is here one minute/day, and the next it is completely gone. It's why I love Colorado so much!

ETA: And 32-37 isn't THAT bad for us. If it isn't windy, it is totally bearable.

 

[csziggy]

can someone tell me from this picture where Jessica's "not intact" remains where found?

On the side of fence with the culvert (nearer the road)
or
On the other side of fence nearer the tree?

For some reason, I thought the fence was before the culvert....duh

TIA

http://photos.denverpost.com/2012/10/06/photos-search-for-jessica/#41

In Amandareckonwith's case archive - which is linked on the first page of each of the Jessica Ridgeway threads - on pages 8 & 9 there are excellent pictures of the site where Jessica's body was found. I think the best pictures are 181 and 184. If you look closely you can see the small red flags where evidence was collected. From the descriptions and from those flags, the bag with the body was found just inside the fence to the left of the dip leading to the culvert, not on the side towards the tree.

 

[otto]

It sounds more and more to me that this perp or these perps don't have a car. jmo

How would Jessica's murderer transport her to where her remains were found without a car?

 

[ZhaZhaHa]

Morning, all - may today bring us one step closer to justice for Jessica! :rose:

On my drive to work today I looked at the changing colors against the mountains and thought how beautiful it all was, like today is special for some reason. I have a really good feeling that we'll get big answers today.

 

[Sigh Sister]

How would Jessica's murderer transport her to where her remains were found without a car?

Or abduct her without anyone noticing.

 

[Wondergirl]

For the Timeline:


Jessica Ridgeway case: Neighbor noticed backpack on Superior street night before

He said he and his wife did not remember seeing the backpack when they left their house at the intersection of Andrew Drive and Alpha Court earlier in the evening -- around 6:45 p.m. -- on Saturday.

The next morning, the man said he noticed the bag was still there and he and a neighbor checked it out. He said the backpack appeared to have been placed deliberately in a standing-up position on the sidewalk rather than tossed haphazardly.

"Just like you'd set a bag down," he said.

The bag had a keychain with the name "Jessica" on it, as well as a water bottle bearing her name, he said.

Neither he nor his neighbor recognized the name, so his neighbor simply sent an e-mail to a town listserv shortly after 1 p.m. Sunday with a message bearing the subject line "Children's Back Pack Found." The message read: "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."

Someone then replied to the e-mail pointing out the backpack's significance, and, according to police, the e-mailer called 911 to report it.

http://www.dailycamera.com/superior...ase-neighbor-noticed-backpack-superior-street

 

[GrainneDhu]

IMO only
I also think she was most likely lured or forced into a vehicle.

I wont go all overboard again today about the rag, but I keep thinking that he probably used the same method with Jessica, as he used with the jogger (since LE says they are related).

I keep thinking that if a person goes through the trouble to either make or obtain the chemical (for example = chloroform), that same person would want to actually use it.

Somebody asked yesterday how quick the fumes will knock out a person, and from watching TV shows, I think it is pretty immediate so long as the person breathes it in all the way. I do think the person probably tested it out on either another person or a dog first to be sure it worked. If the 3rd case at the bar ends up being related, perpaps the multiple perps tested it out on each other, and knew they had a chemical that would knock out a person real quick, and maybe that is why we saw so many attempts of using the rag because they knew it would work so long as they got the person to breathe it in.

Anyway, I sure hope LE catches him/them soon. This is a very scary situation. I still cant believe there are no DNA matches to other people in their databases. It seems this person would have had a record. Even finger prints from maybe the garbage bags seems like they should have found some prints and it should have matched someone who had a record. I find it really strange this perp(s) does not have a criminal record.

There has been no word yet of prints being recovered, but I found that odd since when opening up trash bags, it seems it would provide prints rather easily, unless they wore gloves. But it is hard to open trash bags with gloves on because they stick and you need to almost do it bare handed.

That's funny, I put surgical gloves on when cleaning in part because it makes the bags easier to open.

As for chloroform or any other inhalant anesthesia, the speed depends in good part on the bodyweight of the victim. In medical practice, they use some type of IV to induce anesthesia for patients over around 80 pounds because it just takes too long for an inhalant anesthesia to work.

Having been the unlucky subject of a gas-only anesthesia (hate, hate, hate teaching hospitals), it's terrifying to go through. It felt like drowning on dry land. I could still breath but I felt like I was smothering.

Doesn't surprise me that the chemical soaked rag was not particularly successful with adult women.

I think the bar attempt was a copycat and probably two or more drunk idjits egging each other on. Those perps tried it in plain sight of a bunch of people whereas the Ketner Lake suspect made his attempt without witnesses.

 

[enzeder]

I'm going back through the earliest threads now in light of what we now know. Two things stand out.

1. LE said around 1:45pm on Sat 10/6 that they had found "socks" and "other items" at Chelsea Park (near Jessica's home) but didn't know if they were linked. In light of now knowing that socks weren't found with clothes perhaps they had them this early. Might also explain why they called off the public searches that evening and never resumed them with volunteers. They must have learned 'something' IMO.

2. In the excellent summary of previous attempts in the area that is at the beginning of the thread we are missing this one that clearly sounds like it could be related giving MO and close proximity. Also, appears there may be another eye witness. Can we please add this to the summary of attempts?

http://www.ourcoloradonews.com/west...cle_cf97a78a-72a2-11e1-888d-001871e3ce6c.html

That particular attempted abduction, which occured in March 2012, is listed in the Timeline of Suspicious Incidents post.

Timeline of Suspicious Incidents
[ame="http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showpost.php?p=8479490&postcount=281"]Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community - View Single Post - Found Deceased CO - Jessica Ridgeway, 10, Westminster, 5 Oct 2012 - #14[/ame]


Here's another article about the incident. I hadn't read the article you posted so thank you for posting it. The location given for this incident is "near 110th Place and Harlan Street" which is is approx. 3.5 miles from Chelsea Park.

Teenage Girl Holds Onto Post As Man Tries To Abduct Her
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/teenage-girl-holds-onto-post-as-man-tries-to-abduct-her

 

[stealth]

I believe I see a fingerprint pattern on the back of the cross, far left side of the horizontal piece, appears at lower left in this image:

http://i2.cdn.turner.com/dr/hln/www/release/sites/default/files/imagecache/gallery_780x583/2012/10/22/3.jpg

Agree. Absolutely looks like a finger print. I've looked at that picture dozens of times and haven't noticed that before. You sort of need to look at the image from right to left, bottom up and its clear as can be

 

[Wondergirl]

How would Jessica's murderer transport her to where her remains were found without a car?

Agreed.

If Jessica was not murdered at her recovery scene, then the perp MUST have had a car or accessed a car.

 

[Hatfield]

It sounds more and more to me that this perp or these perps don't have a car. jmo

IMO....I keep wondering if maybe there is a 2nd perp always close by in the "getaway" vehicle. In the jogger case, there is no doubt he was on foot at least for a portion of a time, but it seems to me he would have to have a vehicle close by or maybe a friend in the getaway vehicle.
You could be right though.

 

[ZhaZhaHa]

At 8:30 in the morning, the temperature was 37 degrees with scattered clouds. There was no snow or drizzle until much later in the day ... and then there was only .4 inches of snow.

http://weather.mercurynews.com/auto/mercurynews/history/airport/KDEN/2012/10/5/DailyHistory.html

Awesome, thanks for this! IMO, not too cold at all. I walked the same distance from my car to work that Jessica would have walked to school, and it was totally fine (and I'm not a kid! I remember not caring at all about the cold when I was a kid)

 

[ChuckMaureen]

Originally Posted by ChuckMaureen
I believe I see a fingerprint pattern on the back of the cross, far left side of the horizontal piece, appears at lower left in this image:

http://i2.cdn.turner.com/dr/hln/www/...12/10/22/3.jpg

Agree. Absolutely looks like a finger print. I've looked at that picture dozens of times and haven't noticed that before. You sort of need to look at the image from right to left, bottom up and its clear as can be

LE / FBI should laser scan the cross and process the resultant image with 'edge detect'.

 

[stealth]

That particular attempted abduction, which occured in March 2012, is listed in the Timeline of Suspicious Incidents post.

Ok, it's in that post, but I think there is a new one pinned to the beginning of this thread that doesn't include it.

 

[otto]

Agreed.

If Jessica was not murdered at her recovery scene, then the perp MUST have had a car or accessed a car.

If she was murdered at the location where she was found, how did she get there if not by car?

 

[Kat]

Colin Pitchfork was the first suspect identified through mass DNA collection

"After the world's first mass screening for DNA - where 5,000 men in three villages were asked to volunteer blood or saliva samples - Pitchfork was eventually caught and jailed in 1988."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/5405470.stm

I was going to post this too otto. Thank you.

(Joseph Wambaugh wrote a book about this case, called The Blooding. I read it many many years ago and it was just as good as his book The Onion Field)

LE in that town did mass screening for DNA and compared that pool of donors to evidence left on crime victims.

IIRC, Pitchfork wasn't caught initially because he had a friend go submit dna for him. So there wasn't a hit because he wasn't in the pool.

Fascinating book if anyone ever gets the time to read it. JMHO

 

[ZhaZhaHa]

No, this is before even the BP was found the next day (Sun 10/7). On Sat 10/6 the first and only massive volunteer search (all others searches were just LE) was focussed on Ketner Lake. Which as someone else pointed out is actually South of the school. i.e. further away from her house. There are so many places that they could have searched, but they immediately concentrated most of their resources on the area around the lake. It would seem like they must have had some reason for doing that. My only guess is dogs. Also, and I need to find it again, but there is a picture of a makeshift "shelter" that was in the open area around the lake. Are any locals familiar with that? Pretty distrubing to see a structure like that IMO.

I think that Ketner Lake might be a very logical place to search because of its proximity to the school and neighborhood. Don't searchers usually go to bodies of water in cases like this?