On the morning of October 5, 2012, a 10-year-old girl from Westminster, Colorado, went missing while walking to her elementary school, which was about a mile from her home. According to CBS News, Jessica Ridgeway, who usually meets her friends at a park on her way to Witt Elementary School, did not make it there on Friday.
When school officials learned of Jessica’s absence, they called her mother at 10 a.m. and left a voicemail, according to the outlet. However, the girl’s mother, who was asleep, did not receive the message until later that afternoon. She then called the police.
An Amber Alert was issued for Jessica, and extensive searches were conducted. The Denver Post reported that authorities collected hundreds of DNA samples from neighbors.
Jessica’s urine-soaked backpack and glasses were discovered two days after she went missing. Less than a week after Jessica went missing, police discovered her dismembered remains, which were in black bags, in a field in the nearby town of Arvada.
The FBI became involved in the search for Jessica’s killer and released a behavioral profile of the suspect, as reported by ABC News.
On October 23, 2012, 17-year-old Austin Siggs’ mother called 911 and said her son admitted to her that he had killed Jessica and wanted to turn himself in to police.
“Hello, I need you to come to my house…” In a call obtained by CBS4, Mindy Sigg stated that her son wants to turn himself in for the murder of Jessica Ridgeway. When the dispatcher asked for clarification, the mother stated that her son informed her “that he did it and gave me details, and her remains are in my house.”
Mindy then handed the phone to Austin, who responded, “I’m not sure why you’re asking me these questions. “I killed Jessica Ridgeway.”
Austin also admitted to attacking a jogger and keeping weapons in his home.
“I have knives in my room, and we own some guns, but… “I’m completely giving myself up, and there will be no resistance,” Austin told CBS4. Mindy, who can be heard crying, spoke with the dispatcher once more before the call ended.
According to The Denver Post, Austin admitted to police that he grabbed Jessica, whom he had never seen before, while she was walking by his Jeep. He claimed to have pulled the girl into the back seat and tied her wrists and ankles with zip ties.
According to CNN, Austin admitted to interrogators that he would lie to her. “I would tell her everything was going to be fine. “I’d just lie to her.”
According to The Denver Post, Austin killed Jessica by strangling her and dismembering her body at his mother’s home, which was approximately a mile away. He eventually admitted to sexually assaulting the girl after initially denying it. Authorities discovered the remainder of Jessica’s remains in a crawl space of Austin’s mother’s house.
Austin’s DNA sample, collected during the search for Jessica, was linked to DNA evidence found in the girl’s remains and water bottle, according to the Denver Post. That sample also linked him to DNA from the jogger who fled after being attacked at Ketner Lake.
According to NBC News, Austin was charged as an adult with first-degree murder, sexual assault, kidnapping, and other charges related to Jessica’s death.
Investigators discovered child sex abuse material and charged him with child sexual exploitation, as reported by USA Today.
He faced separate charges for attempting to kidnap a 22-year-old female jogger. According to NBC News, authorities said that happened months before Jessica was killed.
Austin’s classmates reported his “emotional and argumentative” behavior to PEOPLE in 2012, shortly after his arrest. They claimed he had an interest in crime scene investigation and skipped his senior year of high school to study mortuary sciences at Arapahoe Community College.
Austin ultimately pleaded guilty to 15 counts in both cases in October 2013, just two days before his murder trial began, according to NBC News.
He was eventually sentenced to life in prison, with the possibility of parole after 40 years. Austin was not eligible for the death penalty because he was under the age of 18 at the time of the killing, according to the outlet.
According to KDVR, Austin’s defense attorney argued that his unresolved mental health issues made him “not in the right state of mind” during the murder.
However, prosecutors stated, according to the outlet, “He is someone who takes pleasure in pain.” He takes pleasure in dismemberment. Any claim that this man lacked the executive function to plan and implement a strategy is refuted by his actions.”
Jessica’s grandmother, who was present at Austin’s sentencing, described him as a “monster” who had “shattered the core of our family,” according to KDVR.
Today, Jessica’s memory lives on at the park where she was supposed to meet her friends that fateful day. Jessica Ridgeway Memorial Park features butterflies and purple, her favorite color, as a tribute to her playful spirit.
“Each year, hundreds of children and adults use the park for fun, recreation, meditation and remembering Jessica,” according to its official website.
