Darkness. The side of a quiet road, a black bag that no one dares to open. Inside, a piece of a child’s body. At that moment, the police didn’t even know where she was, but the answer was already right there. A 10-year-old girl had vanished on her way to school. It was a 5-minute walk, a route she knew by heart.
The same friends, the same park, the same morning routine. She was never late, she never missed school. But that morning, she simply disappeared. No trace, no witnesses. And the most chilling part, she knew the rules. Don’t talk to strangers, don’t walk alone. So, how did this happen? Who managed to get that close without giving her a chance to run? And why did the real horror of the story only begin after the search for her had already started? All right, real quick before we continue, I’m really curious where you’re all watching from. Let me know
your city and what time it is for you right now. Thanks for taking a second, drop it in the comments, and let’s get back into the story. A quiet suburb in Westminster, that’s where this story unfolds. This is where Jessica Ridgeway lived with her mom, her grandmother, and her aunt. She was born to Sarah Ridgeway and Jeremiah Ridgeway.
At just 10 years old, Jessica was a fifth-grade student at Witt Elementary School. Her parents hadn’t been together for years, and her father lived in Missouri. There had been some challenges with custody and child support, but despite that, Jessica had a strong, loving relationship with both of them. Her teachers described her as bright, cheerful, always smiling, the kind of kid who would raise her hand first or strike up a conversation just to make a new friend. She loved learning.
A true model student. She was creative, too, always making up her own dance routines and songs. She loved animals and she enjoyed watching shows like Victorious and Wizards of Waverly Place. Honestly, she was full of energy, the kind of kid who would try anything and stick with it until she figured it out. Always positive, always full of life.
Her grandmother later said that on that cold, snowy morning, October 5th, 2012, Jessica woke up right at 7:45. She had recently asked her mom for an alarm clock because she wanted to start waking up on her own to be more independent. That morning, she watched a little TV, grabbed a granola bar, got dressed, and then helped her mom peel an orange to take with her to school.
Bundled up in her warm coat, she said goodbye and headed out on foot. She was supposed to meet her friends at Chelsea Park, just a 5-minute walk from her street, and then they would all walk to school together. But she never showed up. Her friends eventually had to keep going so they wouldn’t be late for class. Jessica was never late.
She never missed school, she loved it too much. So, when 10:00 in the morning came and she still hadn’t arrived, the school called Sarah. But Sarah had been working the night shift from 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. After walking Jessica out that morning, she went to bed and didn’t hear the call. The school left a voicemail and she didn’t listen to it until 4:30 that afternoon.
At first, she thought it had to be some kind of mistake. She drove past the park, she went to the school, she stopped by a few of her daughter’s friends’ houses. Jessica wasn’t anywhere and no one had seen her. That’s when Sarah called the Westminster Police Department. Daughter’s missing. Um, I guess she never made it to school this morning.
How old is your daughter? She’s 10. Okay, what’s your daughter’s name? Jessica Ridgeway. And that’s when it hits, that feeling, that knot in your stomach no parent should ever have to experience, the moment you realize your child has been taken. By 9:15 that night, investigators believed they had enough evidence to treat Jessica’s disappearance as an abduction.
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation immediately issued an Amber Alert. By the way, I want to show you this little girl’s picture, Jessica Ridgeway. She never made it to school and right away the school called the little girl’s mother. The mom works nights, so she didn’t get the message until much later in the day and that’s what’s bringing us to where we are right now.
A massive search taking place. Right now, police along with the CBI have issued an Amber Alert and the reason is this. It’s because of the amount of time that has passed since she was last seen. At least 50 police officers, including the FBI, are searching right now. When we start with a an 8-hour delay or a delay as substantial as this, the the distance that she could have wandered even even on her own just gets huge.
Police say Jessica’s father, who lives out of state, is in a custody battle with Jessica’s mother. They do not believe Jessica is with him, but are not ruling any one out. We don’t have a person of interest and we’re going to look at every angle. Nothing like this is really ever happened.
Like, it’s always surprising when something happens here. So, as you can hear from that interview, this is a very serious situation. Normally, Jessica meets some friends at a park, which is just about three blocks from her home. Then the entire group walks to Witt Elementary. The girls that she usually walks with have been interviewed, they did not see her today, but at such a young age as of 10 years old, they they just did not think think much of it.
Again, we do want to show the picture of Jessica Ridgeway, 10 years old, 4’10” in height with shoulder blonde hair. She has blue eyes. She is wearing a winter jacket, I’m told, a black puffy jacket, but with weather like this, it’s still of concern. Again, search is taking place across Westminster. In fact, if you are concerned you would like to help, you can come here to the West View Recreation Center.
We’re at the intersection of 108th and Oak again in Westminster. Teresa Boo. But by then, night had already fallen. It was dark and it was bitterly cold, and everyone knew it was going to be a long night. Firefighters brought in thermal imaging equipment to help them see through the darkness, setting up powerful lights that flooded Chelsea Park with visibility.
Police wanted to deploy a helicopter with night vision, but the extreme cold made it too dangerous. The rotor blades could ice over mid-flight. We’re using every resource we have. We’re trying to use air or helicopters that have equipment that can search in the dark. Unfortunately, the weather has grounded those, so we’re not able to use that tool.
We’ve brought our fire department in who has equipment that sees in the dark, thermal imaging equipment, so they’re out searching with that. Over 400 faculty and every parent that has a student attending Witt Elementary has received the notification that Jessica is missing. When the sun comes up, police say they will be bringing in even more people to help search for Jessica.
They’re also hoping for a break in the weather so they can get helicopters up to search from the sky. By 2:00 a.m., authorities told volunteers to go home and come back later in the morning. Around 2:00 in the morning, authorities asked volunteers to head home and come back at first light. The Westminster Police Department set up a command center and called on the community for help, and people showed up in overwhelming numbers.
Officers began searching homes and backyards along with large open areas, creeks, wooded spaces, anywhere someone could disappear. They interviewed countless individuals and collected around 700 DNA samples. Patrols were stationed at crosswalks and every vehicle entering or leaving the area was photographed.
All around the neighborhood, mailboxes and trees were decorated with ribbons in Jessica’s favorite color, purple. Back at school, they found her notebook sitting on her desk. Inside, on one of the pages, she had written, “Don’t play in the park alone and be careful around strangers.” She was cautious, always aware of her surroundings.
So, investigators believed one of two things, either someone she trusted lured her in or she was taken completely by surprise. But the idea that she that just didn’t seem likely. As the investigation grew, local resources weren’t enough. The Federal Bureau of Investigation stepped in along with 12 additional agencies.
In total, more than 1,000 people worked the case, following up on over 4,000 tips. Four days after she disappeared, her family stepped outside for the first time to speak to the media. Until then, they hadn’t been able to bring themselves to leave the house. But behind the scenes, they had been fully cooperating with investigators and had already provided their DNA samples.
And Mike, the FBI mobile evidence response team unit, they were inside this home much of the afternoon for about 2 hours. They’ve since left, but they first arrived not even 10 minutes after the Ridgeway family left the home. This FBI evidence response team on standby soon putting on gloves, covering their shoes, and walking in the front door.
Inside, outside, looking for any sign of Jessica. And this is the first time we are hearing from Jessica’s mother and father. Both deny any involvement in her disappearance. Both are holding out hope. She’s my rock. She She’s I mean, she’s all of our rock. A mother. The bright voice of my little girl. She needs to come home. And a father.
I try to stay positive about it, but uh yeah, it’s hard. I just want to find my daughter. I watched her walk out the door and I shut the door and that’s the last time I saw her and I want to come walking through back through that door. After searches by ground and by air, still no sign of the 10-year-old. And the reality of all of this is now very real.
It is not ever [laughter] ever anything I want ever any parent to Police quickly ruled out Jessica’s parents as suspects in her disappearance. At that point, investigators were leaning toward the possibility of a stranger abduction. The very next day, a man about 6 and 1/2 miles away in the area of Superior came across something he didn’t realize the importance of at the time.
It was Jessica’s backpack. Inside were her glasses, a water bottle, and clothing that carried a strong smell of urine. Attached to the backpack was a keychain with Jessica’s name on it. But not connecting it to the disappearance happening miles away, he posted about it on a local Nextdoor page for Westminster, writing, “If this belongs to you, come pick it up.
” Eventually, someone recognized the connection and called 911. Sarah later admitted that in that moment, she felt a small flicker of hope that her only child might still be found alive. Late Wednesday night, police announced a body had been found near a park in the Denver suburb of Arvada. At this point, they won’t officially confirm it is 10-year-old Jessica Ridgeway, but multiple police sources tell ABC News they believe it is the girl’s body.
But that hope didn’t last long. The very next day, another discovery was made, far more disturbing and final. Over the weekend, a glimpse of optimism for the family when Jessica’s backpack and water bottle were found in another subdivision 6 miles away. I felt [snorts] a a sliver of hope.
I figured, you know, if something really bad happened to her, they wouldn’t have got rid of the backpack just sitting there. About 6 miles from Jessica’s home, maintenance workers discovered a heavy bag on the side of the road. They didn’t open it. Instead, they called the police who arrived with a 9 unit. Inside was a child’s torso.
Forensic testing later confirmed the remains belonged to Jessica Ridgeway, but parts of her body were still missing and at that point, the cause of death remained unknown. Investigators also reported finding a wooden cross at the scene, though they never publicly clarified exactly where it was in relation to the remains.
Some sources claimed it was inside the bag. Others said it was placed nearby. Either way, authorities considered it a critical piece of evidence. The chief of the Westminster Police Department, Lee Berk, later said, “Our focus has shifted from searching for Jessica to seeking justice for Jessica. We understand that there is a predator in our community who is still out there.
” We pray for the Ridgeway family that you would comfort them. Prayer, candlelight, and song Saturday night to remember a life taken far too soon. It amazes me that people can be that sick in this world. Hundreds took part in the vigil for Jessica Ridgeway in Westminster. Heather Fogg and her family among them after her son said he wanted to light a candle for Jessica.
I feel like it kind of takes their childhood away because you teach them the world is a really good place, but then you have to train them now that you can’t talk to strangers. As the community mourns the loss of Jessica, police are stepping up efforts to find her killer. Saturday, investigators continued trying to develop leads.
They’ve been going over sex offender lists and have even been reviewing data from cell phone towers around key locations in the case, hoping if a number were registered at all of them, it could help lead to a suspect. I don’t know if you can make sense of it. You know, we just need justice for Jessica, though, and so all the kids are safe in the neighborhood.
Investigators soon connected the case to an earlier incident that had taken place 4 months before on Memorial Day. A woman jogging near Ketner Lake was attacked from behind by a man who pressed a cloth soaked in chloroform over her face. He dragged her into nearby bushes, but somehow she managed to fight back and escape.
The only description she could give was limited. She said the attacker was a white male and based on her height, she estimated he stood somewhere between 5’6″ and 5’8″ with an average build. What made it even more disturbing was how close it happened, just steps away from where Jessica was believed to have been taken.
DNA collected from that earlier assault matched the DNA found in Jessica’s case, which meant one thing, the same person was responsible. A spokesperson for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Dave Jolly, urged the public to stay extremely alert. Around the same time, investigators released a behavioral profile of the suspect.
We’re going to begin this half hour with the Colorado community on edge as police search for 10-year-old Jessica Ridgeway’s killer. In Jessica Ridgeway’s community of Westminster, Colorado this morning, there is sadness, anger, and fear. This is horrible. It’s absolutely horrible. That a killer is on the loose. I want to stress that we recognize that there is a predator at large in our community.
With state, local, and federal agents working Jessica’s murder, police have scoured her neighborhood and the community for clues. More than 1,500 tips have poured in. 500 homes searched. A manhunt underway for a killer still on the street. Former FBI profiler, Clint Van Zandt. This is a whole ‘nother type of predator.
Number one, to commit a horrible act, to kidnap a child, but number two, to dispose of a body this way, puts this guy in a breed almost by himself. We haven’t identified a an individual. So we’re talking and and conveying to our community the importance of looking at behavioral changes. Unfortunately, it’s somebody’s family member, a neighbor, a friend.
Dozens of worried residents came to Tom Olbrich Saturday for crisis counseling. Our behavioral analysis unit wants to convey a message to the community and to the public as a whole. They’re looking for abnormal behavior, changes in someone’s behavior from Jessica’s disappearance last Friday until today.
Uh it could be something as simple as shaving of their face, could be uh changing of hair color, cutting of their hair their hair, uh changing their mood, their personality, uh parking a vehicle in their uh garage and they’ve always parked it in their driveway. So we suspect that someone in the community knows this individual.
And we’re asking for the community’s support once again. Uh the community has been very supportive in the efforts so far to this investigation and we’re asking that they would do this one more time to help us gather new leads and new information uh to bring this to a a conclusion. More than 3,000 people gathered in Arvada to honor the life of Jessica Ridgeway.
Her favorite songs played through the crowd while videos of her life were shown nearby. The entire space was covered in purple, her favorite color. Police officers, volunteers, people who knew Jessica, and even those who had only learned about her through the news, they were all there. That Those of us involved in this case unfortunately never had the privilege of knowing your wonderful daughter.
But I can honestly tell you we feel like we did. We feel like she’s part of our family and we feel like we’ve lost part of our family. After detectives released a photo of the cross, one of the neighbors recognized it. She lived near the Sigg family and contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation raising concerns about a 17-year-old named Austin Sigg who lived with his mother, Mindy Sigg.
It wasn’t just the cross. She also knew he had a disturbing fascination with death and with the decomposition of both human and animal bodies. Investigators spoke with Austin and collected a DNA sample. He told them he had been home, asleep, at the time Jessica disappeared. They also noticed he was wearing a cross similar to the one found.
But after taking the sample, they left seemingly satisfied with his answers and continued working through the area. Hundreds of samples were collected and tested. As part of the process, people received envelopes with their names on them. If the envelope came back empty, it meant their DNA did not match the evidence in Jessica’s case.
Austin’s envelope came back empty, so he was ruled out and investigators moved on. But on October 22nd, the media began heavily reporting on the DNA link between Jessica’s case and the earlier attack on the jogger. And that same day, Austin told his classmates he felt sick, nauseous, barely able to stand. That night, he even slept in his mother’s bed.
The next morning, Austin told his mom he had something he needed to tell her. She immediately asked if it was about Jessica. “I just knew. I don’t know why, but I knew.” she later said. When he confirmed her worst fear, Mindy collapsed to the floor, crying, shocked, horrified, unable to process it.
“This can’t be happening. This can’t be real. I’m going to prison.” Austin said. “I know.” she replied. “You need to call the police. Can you do it for me?” Mindy picked up the phone and dialed 911. The full call lasted nearly 18 minutes. So what you’re about to hear is a shortened version. Hi, this is Molly at Westminster Police.
Can I help you? Hi, um I need you to come to my house. Um My son wants to turn himself in for the Jessica Ridgeway murder. Can you tell me exactly what he said? That he did it and he gave me details and her remains are in my house. Did you see them? No. Is he there with you? Yes. Is he cooperative? Yes. What is your son’s name? Austin Sigg.
Okay, I understand that you’re probably, you know, feeling pretty crappy right now, but I want you to know that you did the right thing. I called you. He He did it. He just wanted me to call. He He is turning himself in. Okay, do you think that he’s going to be cooperative with the officers? Absolutely. Okay.
Do you think that Austin would talk to me? Will you talk to him? Yeah, hold on. Okay. Hello. Is this Austin? Yes, it is. Hi Austin, this is Molly at the Westminster Police Department. Hi. Can you tell me a little bit about what’s going on right now, or how you’re feeling, or how did this come about? Uh I I I don’t exactly get why you’re asking these questions.
I murdered Jessica Ridgeway. Okay. There is I have proof that I did it. I There is no other question. You just have to send a squad car or something down here, and I will answer all the questions that you want to ask. Okay. Or anyone wants to ask of me as soon as you just need to get down here. Okay. Have you committed any crimes like this before? Before this? Um I mean, I Do you have a criminal history of any sort? The only other thing that I have done that before this was the Ketner Lake incident where the woman got
attacked. That was me. Ma’am, um I understand you want to call your I understand you want to call your husband, and I’m sorry, but I would like to keep you guys on the phone just until the officers get a little bit closer. Well, how far are they? Um they’re going to be there in just a few minutes. Is Austin still there with you? Mhm.
Yeah, I won’t let him out of my sight. Okay. Has Austin been diagnosed with any mental health issues? Does he see a counselor? Does he take any medication? Uh he saw a counselor um years ago for um porn. Okay. I’m here. Breathe. Take some deep breaths for me. Do you want me to send you an ambulance? No. Are you sure? Yes, sir.
Okay, what just happened? I opened the window. What’s that? I just opened the window. Okay. I’m here. Okay. Ma’am, do you take a couple deep breaths for me, okay? And you tell me when the officers get there. They’re coming to your front door. Okay? I don’t see them. I don’t see them yet. You don’t see them? No.
Is Austin okay with you right now? Yeah, he’s getting really anxious, and so am I. Okay. They’re in here. They’re coming up. They’re coming up to the door? Yeah. Okay. Do you see Do you see the plainclothes officers and their badges? Yeah, they’re here. Okay, I’ll let you go speak with them, okay? Okay. All right, okay. Thank you.
Goodbye. Goodbye. And just 19 days after Jessica Ridgeway disappeared, Austin Sigg was already sitting inside a police station. He confessed that he had tried to abduct the jogger using chloroform he had made himself. When she managed to escape, it didn’t stop him.
If anything, it pushed him to rethink his approach. He said he needed someone smaller, someone easier to overpower. When investigators asked what he would have done if the attack on the jogger had been successful, he answered, “I probably would have done the same thing to her that I did to Jessica.” So, you were you were out, for a better word, hunting? Yeah, that’s the only word I can think of.
And did you know Jessica? No. Had you ever seen her before? No. In her final moments, Jessica Ridgeway was playing in the park making snowballs. Austin Sigg was watching her. He parked his Jeep where it wouldn’t draw attention and kept his eyes on her as she walked holding a snowball in her hands. He waited until she had to cross the street, then ducked down in the backseat so she wouldn’t see him.
As she passed by the vehicle, he jumped out, grabbed her, and pulled her inside. Jessica screamed. But, there was no one around to hear her. He restrained her hands and feet with plastic zip ties. A random place, a random time. “Everything random,” he later said. “I think the moment I pulled her into the car, I already knew she was dead.
Jessica kept asking questions who he was, if he knew her mom. She kept asking, and I answered. I lied to her. I told her everything was going to be okay.” He drove her to his home. What happened next, only he truly knows. He claimed he took Jessica upstairs to his room, removed the ties from her hands, and turned on cartoons for her. He told her again and again that she would be going home to her mom soon.
At one point, she wet herself. He made her change clothes giving her a white t-shirt and black shorts. He also said he cut her hair. Then he told her to turn around, and that’s when he strangled her. Austin admitted that when he first grabbed Jessica, he felt a sexual urge, but insisted he did not sexually assault her.
He confessed to dismembering her in the bathroom, placing her torso into two bags, and keeping them for some time in a structure near a pool before eventually disposing of them. He described removing and identifying each of her organs. He said the idea came from forensic science how serial killers who were considered successful were the ones who could make a body disappear.
The way Austin spoke about Jessica’s body was cold, detached, in a way that’s rarely seen. The 17-year-old led investigators to the remaining parts of her body hidden in a crawl space beneath his home. That’s where they were found. He also admitted he had tried to flush parts of her remains down the toilet, but it didn’t work.
Later, investigators found human tissue in the plumbing confirming that some of his attempts to dispose of the body had gone through the pipes. Jessica was already dead before police had even begun searching for her. During the interrogation, detectives discovered that Austin’s original DNA sample had actually been lost and never tested.
The empty envelope with his name on it had been a critical mistake. A new test was immediately ordered, and this time the result was clear. His DNA matched evidence from both the jogger’s case and Jessica’s. After towing the Jeep he used to abduct her, investigators found broken plastic zip ties inside the vehicle. At the time, Deputy District Attorney Hal Sargent said he believed the way Austin disposed of certain items was intentional, meant to send a message that Jessica was dead.
“The glasses tell you she’s dead. There’s a reason he chose those specific items, the clothes that smelled like urine, her jacket, her socks. He selected them carefully.” Austin had a long-standing obsession with death and had wanted to become a mortician. He was enrolled in college courses studying mortuary science.
He admitted that his dependence on violent material involving children began when he was 12. According to him, he became increasingly disturbed and sadistic consuming graphic, twisted content online. Austin’s parents had divorced years earlier, but they both tried to help him. In 2008, they took him to a religious counselor. But, he later said his obsession only grew stronger. It didn’t help.
“It just kept getting worse, more violent things, and it happened so slowly, I didn’t even realize how bad it was becoming. It took over me and just kept growing. After I stopped seeing my Christian therapist, or whatever you want to call it, I thought I had it under control, but that lasted maybe less than a month, and then I went right back to it.
” In 2009, his doctors contacted his father, Robert Sigg, recommending that his access to television and computers be restricted. in suburban Denver are still removing evidence from the home of a teenage college student in custody for the kidnapping Austin Sigg was tried as an adult on 17 counts, including four counts of murder and two counts of kidnapping.
Despite his claims that he did not commit sexual assault, the volume of violent material he had consumed and his history of sadistic behavior suggested otherwise. Prosecutors later added three more charges, including sexual assault on a child, robbery, and sexual exploitation of a child after incriminating material was discovered on his devices.
In the case involving the jogger, he was also charged with attempted first-degree murder, attempted kidnapping, and attempted sexual assault. New courtroom sketches of Austin Sigg, the teenager pleading not guilty to killing 10-year-old Jessica Ridgeway, even though he admitted it. could very well be a placeholder plea.
Even though Austin Sigg pled not guilty on all counts, he has the option to modify that later, including guilty and not guilty by reason of insanity. His father, Robert Sigg, said, “There are no words to express the sorrow that my family and I feel for the pain this family is going through. We are devastated by the knowledge that our son, Austin Sigg, has been arrested.
This horrific event is a tragedy for both families as well as for the entire community. I also ask for your prayers and support for Austin’s mother, whose courageous act, unimaginably painful for any parent, has helped move this tragedy toward a resolution. Mindy Sig, the woman who ultimately turned her own son in, later said she felt an overwhelming sense of guilt, not because she was involved, but because she had brought him into this world.
Jessica’s mother, Sara Ridgeway, responded with compassion. She didn’t do anything to cause this. I don’t believe the way he was raised had anything to do with what he did. Mindy remembered him as a sweet baby, a smart, kind child. It was almost impossible for her to reconcile that image with who he had become. For me, there was no one else.
I didn’t know what music was popular, I didn’t know what shows people were watching. He was everything I could have ever wanted. A classmate who had known Austin Sig since middle school said, “There’s always something off about him. He was one of those kids who’s really smart, but always by himself.
He would talk to himself, act strange around people. Even though he was intelligent, he eventually began falling behind in school.” Mindy later learned he had been bullied because of his voice. In the end, he dropped out and earned the equivalent of a high school diploma. Over time, people around him became increasingly uneasy.
One neighbor, Emily Alexander, said her 11-year-old daughter immediately told her she knew who had taken Jessica. I feel bad bad that uh I dismissed it. When Emily Alexander’s 11-year-old daughter said she knew who kidnapped Jessica, no one believed her. She goes, “Mom, oh my god, I know who did it.
” And I go, “Who?” And she goes, “The goth teenager from the park.” At this park, just down the road, she says a teenage boy had been acting strangely, staring at her daughter, walking by their home. And she pointed him out right across the street from her house. Emily Alexander says her daughter’s friends may have been what saved her.
If she had been at the park alone, there’s no telling, you know, what could have happened. I should have let her know that the moment she feels uncomfortable, that she should trust that, and that, you know, it Austin Sig pleaded not guilty to all charges, both in Jessica’s case and in the attack on the jogger.
Given his detailed confession and the fact that Jessica’s remains were found in his home, that plea came as a shock to many. The idea of a full where every horrifying detail would be laid out in court was simply too much for a lot of people to bear. Because he was 17 at the time of the murder, he was not eligible for the death penalty.
But if convicted, he was facing life in prison with the possibility of parole after 40 years. His attorney argued that Austin’s actions were impulsive and that even he didn’t fully understand why he had done it. The defense also claimed that during pregnancy, Mindy Sig had been exposed to paint fumes and had suffered a fall down the stairs, and that Austin was born with a head injury due to the use of a vacuum extraction device.
They further stated that he had struggled with serious intestinal issues and had undergone three surgeries. It was also brought up that Austin grew up in a fractured household after his parents’ divorce, in an environment marked by frequent legal trouble. His father, Robert Sig, had a long history of arrests, including mortgage fraud, driving under the influence, assault, domestic violence, and drug-related offenses.
The court would be presumptuous and speculative to assume at this early age because of an act by a child that that child would never be appropriate She added that despite his parents’ divorce, things at home appeared normal on the surface. And while he did have a family that supported him, he showed absolutely no empathy toward Jessica Ridgeway.
This wasn’t some impulsive act he later regretted. According to prosecutors, his actions pointed to clear intent. He had been searching for ways to make homemade chloroform. He had typed in things like top 10 places to kidnap someone, and that was on top of all the other extreme content he had been consuming and later admitted to.
The founding fathers of this country did not set forth an amendment that says when a young man kidnaps, robs, sexually assaults, and murders and dismembers a 10-year-old girl, that everything other than the murder should be excused. What we do know is that this young man is dangerous. The only way to protect the community from him is to keep him confined forever.
seen an offense like this committed by someone under 18. Ever. Not in this county, not in this state, not in this country. Austin Sig was being held in a special unit at the Jefferson County Detention Center, separated from adult inmates. And for a while, everything seemed to be moving toward a full trial.
But then, almost exactly 1 year after Jessica had left for school, and just 2 days before that trial was set to begin, everything shifted. Austin pleaded guilty, not to one or two charges, but to 15 in total. That included first-degree murder, sexual assault of a minor, kidnapping, attempted kidnapping, and sexual exploitation of a child.
And just like that, the case took a different turn, bringing some answers, but also locking in the weight of what had happened. Justice for Jessica delivered today. It’s been just over a year since 10-year-old Jessica Ridgeway disappeared. Well, today her teenage killer, Austin Sig, learning he will spend the rest of his life behind bars.
He got life in prison for the murder charge, plus 86 consecutive years on top of that for the kidnapping, sexual assault, and robbery charges. One of Sig’s attorneys mouths, “Are you okay?” Sig replies, “Yeah, I’m fine.” He was expressionless most of the day. It was truly a reflection of pure evil. And it And Austin Sig deserves everything he got.
Austin Sig was sentenced to 40 years for Jessica’s murder, but the judge added another 86 years for his other crimes. While he technically could have been eligible for parole because he was a minor at the time of the murder, those additional years effectively eliminated that possibility, ensuring he will spend the rest of his life behind bars.
District Attorney Peter Weir made it clear there were no deals, no negotiations in this case. We are not going to make any concessions for Austin. The judge agreed, adding, “This case demands a life sentence.” Austin chose not to address the court and showed no visible emotion as the sentence was handed down. So, I’m actually not going to say anything today because I don’t think that the defendant has the right to hear how he affected my me, my family, or who Jessica was.
Once we walk out of this courtroom, we’ll not remember his name, and we’ll all only remember Jessica and the legacy she created legacy she created, as well as the Lassy Project in which she inspired. Thank you. Thank Mindy Sig said she never once questioned her decision to call the police and turn her son in. She immersed herself in therapy, and while she still thinks about Austin Sig and grieves the son she once knew, she admitted, “I haven’t spoken to him since. I can’t.
” He hasn’t tried to contact her, either. “Part of the reason I don’t speak to him is because I don’t believe I’d hear the truth about anything. I can’t let him lie to me.” “I still don’t have an answer to the question why, and I need that.” When Mindy was asked if she had a message for the Ridgeway family, she said, “I would literally give my life to change what happened.
I would trade my life for Jessica’s.” “Even now, as I’m starting to heal a little, I would still do it if I could.” Jessica’s grandmother said that everyone in their family felt compassion for Mindy. “We understand that she lost her son, too. It’s a different kind of loss, but she still lost him. My heart goes out to her. If we could have hugged her in that courtroom, and if we had been allowed, we probably would have, but we couldn’t.
I want her to know we think about her often.” And this park has just been transformed here. Everywhere you look, there are hints of Jessica, from the purple that is speckled throughout the park to this dragonfly teeter-totter, which we’re told represents a school project she was particularly fond of that she was working on at the time of her disappearance.
The way the community continues to remember and honor her short life, it’s something truly special. Even now, there’s always something being done in her name. A memorial playground was built, featuring a 40-ft track, playful knock-knock jokes written by her classmates, and custom-designed swings shaped like ribbons, all, of course, in shades of purple.
There was also collaboration with the Lassy Project, a free service that allows parents and guardians to notify their entire local community about a missing child within seconds. They even created the Jessica Ridgeway cheer camp, inspired by what she loved most. Cheerleading was something she had dreamed of doing as she got older.
She used to tell her mom she was going to be a cheerleader and that she would be kind to everyone. Five years after losing her daughter, Sara Ridgeway gave birth to another baby girl, Anna. The reminders of her are everywhere. Lots of purple. Her sweet 10-year-old smile. Her picture’s everywhere.
Her favorite color. We all still wear purple. Purple’s everywhere in our house. I think she’s makes her presence known. That’s how Sarah Pindel Ridgeway and her family remember Jessica. Yes, we still talk about her. You know, it’s you know, she still exists for us. Yes, it’s hard and it’s the hardest thing that anybody could possibly do is to move forward.
I need to remember who she was and who I would have hoped she would have become and know that I need to keep moving forward. Here we go. She was born October 15th Anna Christine Pindel Ridgeway. Her and her sister share the same middle name and then Her eyes are blue. Different blue than Jessica’s, but they’re blue.
She loves her hands. They’re her favorite thing in the whole wide world. I think Jessica would be enamored. She’s very much ever present. We talk to Jessica and I think she kind of turns her head. It looks like she’s talking to somebody over in the distance, so I think her sister definitely comes and visits and leaves her little sparkly way around and Mom and grandma say they’ll tell Anna all about Jessica Sparkle as soon as she’s old enough.
I’m mostly going to say that, you know, she has a big sister that left before she was born. They want to raise her without fear. I’m going to try not to let what happened overshadow overshadow how I raise Anna cuz I don’t want her to be smothered a little bit. I want her to be able to have her own little life.
Never she’s not replaced. She’s just expanded. she definitely has a extra special angel watching over her. She said Jessica would have been the best big sister. But now she takes care of her in a different way. This story of Jessica Ridgeway is one of the most heartbreaking. When you think about her final moments that innocence, that carefree feeling doing exactly what any 10-year-old should be doing playing in the snow, meeting up with friends walking to school, expecting to come home later and talk about her day and in a single moment everything changed. That
purity, that innocence, it was taken in the most brutal way. The Ridgeway family, like anyone in their position now lives one day at a time. Jessica’s mother, Sarah Ridgeway, once described her daughter’s murder like a broken plate. It’s like a plate that shattered and one piece is gone forever. You can try to put it back together the best you can but the cracks will always be there and it will never be the same again.
You can never truly make it whole. And that’s where this story comes to an end. But cases like this remind us of something unsettling. Sometimes reality is far more terrifying than anything you could ever see in a movie or read in fiction. Behind every story like this, there are real people, real lives and questions that don’t always have answers.
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