VA VA - Scott Ratigan, 24, found murdered in apartment, Arlington, 17 Jan 2020

[_Patches]

I don't know about all of that, but that does look kind of like the jacket. I think everyone here concluded the backpack was also North Face; probably just a coincidence, but something to note. This person definitely did not have "cheap" clothing. I had assumed they threw all of this away immediately after, so we are looking at a crime that cost them a few hundred dollars just in apparel going into the garbage.

 

[branmuffin]

I don't feel that analyzing a photo in depth is overcomplicating. I'm not trying to convince anyone but I d feel like giving more of an explanation as to how I came to some of these conclusions and as I've said before this is just my opinion.

The main problem with this video is the lack of light. The only good photo of his face is when he is in the sun light but he is too far away so we lose clarity. I have put these stills through various filters and adjusted the contrast and clarity. Depending on how things are adjusted you can bring out certain aspects of a photo this way. For example, the face mask he is wearing is stretched more when it is going over certain areas of his face, for example his nose chin cheeks etc. The material will become slightly stretched allowing more light to pass through. This can give us a contour of the face. Sometimes you can bring out a lot of detail and other times like this one you can't mainly due to lack of light and the dark material.

The jacket he is wearing is a North Face brand and most likely the Apex Bionic. The hood on this model has it's own unique shape. If you look at some of the photo's you can see the differences in how it will look when someone is wearing it without a hat, one with a baseball cap and the one in the video. The one in the video more closely resembles the one who is wearing a cap underneath. Take a look at the first photo of the suspect. The edge of the hood is laying over what appears to be the brim of a hat. Notice how the sides of the hood flare out pretty far to the sides. The hood is laying over what I will call a helmet. The brim is very short but also wide. This shape is symmetrical on both sides and doesn't lose it's shape even when he is running.

The other photo which gives a rear view of the hood shows IMO how much bulk there is under the hood. Even around his ears there is significant protrusion. This is not the shape of a normal head. I believe this guy had help and was in contact with someone else during this whole time. Do a Google search for Smith Alek 006 Wireless Helmet Audio Kit. This kit retails for $130. The helmets brim in the photo example is a very close match to the shape you see that sticks out slightly past the hoods brim. The audio kit is wireless and allows you to communicate with any person who also has one. This guy already spent around $500 for what he was wearing so I don't feel like cost was an element to this crime. This man was on his way to kill someone and he went to great lengths to plan it out. If all of this sounds far fetched I have no problem with that but if someone would have suggested before the video came out that a man dressed like a Ninja killed Scott they probably would have been laughed off this forum.

 

[branmuffin]

I don't feel that analyzing a photo in depth is overcomplicating. I'm not trying to convince anyone but I d feel like giving more of an explanation as to how I came to some of these conclusions and as I've said before this is just my opinion.

The main problem with this video is the lack of light. The only good photo of his face is when he is in the sun light but he is too far away so we lose clarity. I have put these stills through various filters and adjusted the contrast and clarity. Depending on how things are adjusted you can bring out certain aspects of a photo this way. For example, the face mask he is wearing is stretched more when it is going over certain areas of his face, for example his nose chin cheeks etc. The material will become slightly stretched allowing more light to pass through. This can give us a contour of the face. Sometimes you can bring out a lot of detail and other times like this one you can't mainly due to lack of light and the dark material.

The jacket he is wearing is a North Face brand and most likely the Apex Bionic. The hood on this model has it's own unique shape. If you look at some of the photo's you can see the differences in how it will look when someone is wearing it without a hat, one with a baseball cap and the one in the video. The one in the video more closely resembles the one who is wearing a cap underneath. Take a look at the first photo of the suspect. The edge of the hood is laying over what appears to be the brim of a hat. Notice how the sides of the hood flare out pretty far to the sides. The hood is laying over what I will call a helmet. The brim is very short but also wide. This shape is symmetrical on both sides and doesn't lose it's shape even when he is running.

The other photo which gives a rear view of the hood shows IMO how much bulk there is under the hood. Even around his ears there is significant protrusion. This is not the shape of a normal head. I believe this guy had help and was in contact with someone else during this whole time. Do a Google search for Smith Alek 006 Wireless Helmet Audio Kit. This kit retails for $130. The helmets brim in the photo example is a very close match to the shape you see that sticks out slightly past the hoods brim. The audio kit is wireless and allows you to communicate with any person who also has one. This guy already spent around $500 for what he was wearing so I don't feel like cost was an element to this crime. This man was on his way to kill someone and he went to great lengths to plan it out. If all of this sounds far fetched I have no problem with that but if someone would have suggested before the video came out that a man dressed like a Ninja killed Scott they probably would have been laughed off this forum.

Maybe he's wearing a man bun.

 

[Rush4087]

I do not think the perp was wearing a helmet, or any paintball armor on hips and thighs (jmo)

I do think the backpack is North Face. I do think the shoes are Nike Flex Experience Rn 9. The gloves are definitely UA, though I don’t think they are the ones shown in your pic (I’ve looked at hundreds and hundreds of pics of UA gloves and still haven’t found the exact right ones - the closest might be a unisex - adult youth liner 2.0..), and I’m currently leaning toward the hoodie being a Burton w/o logo (which in itself is not common).

I had previously thought the hoodie was maybe an UA coldgear swackjacket, - but the hood seams on the swackjacket don’t seem to protrude as much as those on the burton (men’s model oak). But some swackjackets do have 2 seams - and in some of the older versions it appears they protrude.. Just hard to tell. With manufacturers tweaking apparel every year to try to keep things fresh, we may not have access to photos of 2016-2019 apparel. There was a lot of work done earlier in the thread to try to ID all items of clothing.

I think the perp was either a woman or an Asian male. If it was a woman, I think she may have intentionally purchased men’s shoes (about 2 sizes to big), a men’s hoodie, and either men’s or unisex UA gloves (anything but woman’s gloves) to add to her disguise. The pack could be a men’s or a woman’s size (because I don’t think there’s any way to differentiate).

Whoever the individual is, they have small hands, wide hips, and thin, un-athletic (or at least not very muscular) lower legs.

I think the gait could have been faked by a smart person who was intent on committing the murder and had planned and practiced some (with the oversized shoes). Everything we have seen so far suggests that the perp went to great lengths to conceal all clues about their identity to get past cctv cams outside and inside the building. To me, the fake gait would fit right in.

I have always thought the perp was known to SR - and therefore only wore the dark ninja - looking stuff (and walked pigeon toed) while in front of cctv cameras outside the building. I think once inside, the perp then removed some of those items to look normal before entering SE’s apartment.

I do think that bleach would have been necessary, as I don’t believe the perp would have been wearing the hood, the balaclava, and probably not even the UA gloves when invited into the apt. by SR and then while inside (moo). The perp would have wanted to look normal to SR. She/he might’ve put the gloves and hood and balaclava back on after the murder when cleaning up.

I really do think it was somebody SR knew, and perhaps somebody he knew well. I’m leaning toward a female. If I’m wrong and it’s a male, I think it’s likely an Asian male, somebody perhaps from work or from when SR was at Radford.

All jmo

 

[Soulmagent]

I don't know about all of that, but that does look kind of like the jacket. I think everyone here concluded the backpack was also North Face; probably just a coincidence, but something to note. This person definitely did not have "cheap" clothing. I had assumed they threw all of this away immediately after, so we are looking at a crime that cost them a few hundred dollars just in apparel going into the garbage.

Not really, outlets galore, and thrift stores ,military commissary , Ross ,T.J.Maxx , Marshalls and more. Northface is not even a brand kids wear anymore.

 

[Ssschu]

Family of Ballston man increases reward to $50k for information that leads to arrest in his death | WTOP

 

[MoeInVA]

Family of Ballston man increases reward to $50k for information that leads to arrest in his death | WTOP

Oh this is so sad! I really would have thought his phone data combined with that video would yield answers. Do they have know idea who did it? Or do they think they know who it is and they just can’t prove it?

 

[acehard]

Oh this is so sad! I really would have thought his phone data combined with that video would yield answers. Do they have know idea who did it? Or do they think they know who it is and they just can’t prove it?

Came here to say the same thing. Wish they release some more details. These days Phone data has the most clues.

 

[Kaylas]

I don't know about all of that, but that does look kind of like the jacket. I think everyone here concluded the backpack was also North Face; probably just a coincidence, but something to note. This person definitely did not have "cheap" clothing. I had assumed they threw all of this away immediately after, so we are looking at a crime that cost them a few hundred dollars just in apparel going into the garbage.

The person might have had a duplicate outfit. He / she tossed the one out. Had an extra if questioned where the clothing went.

 

[Kaylas]

If it’s not about the gait, then why did APD release this?
Surely they can contact northface and underarmour themselves to ID the styles. And put it out there to the masses. But they thought the whole picture was important it seems... the gait or just the whole picture.

Anyway I will agree and say again, APD and the family better be pressuring AVA to contact all the residents at that time.

This case is still daunting. Someone saw something out of the ordinary the day Scott was murdered. I’m hoping that a person in AVA or the Arlington Community, might come forward with information that could help solve the case.
I feel for the parents of Scott as the second set of Holidays role around.

 

[GooseyPie]

Maybe Scott knew who this person was and the disguise was so that others wouldn’t recognize him. Scott asked the person to come over and didn’t hesitate to let him/her in because perp. told him what they would be wearing. Or maybe he thought a certain person was coming but due to the clothing he didn’t realize that it wasn’t who he thought it was, until it was too late! Scott was was expecting a romantic liaison with a lover, but it was actually the lover’s enraged partner or jealous ex. MOO.

 

[MoeInVA]

I still find it odd that one of Scott’s fraternity brothers wound up dead from apparent suicide days later at the fraternity house. Could there be a connection?

Some fraternities at Scott’s college got in big trouble for hazing during his time there. Could Scott have been a whistleblower that got some of those other guys charged with crimes or kicked out of college? And they sought revenge?
Could it be related to revenge or blackmail against Scott related to hazing?

 

[GooseyPie]

It is so weird to take along a bottle of bleach, who does that? I would have splashed it all over myself by mistake, ruined many of my clothes from using this! Maybe he figured if he accidentally cut himself he could pour bleach on any blood, still odd to me though! MOO.

 

[scdiv]

It is so weird to take along a bottle of bleach, who does that? I would have splashed it all over myself by mistake, ruined many of my clothes from using this! Maybe he figured if he accidentally cut himself he could pour bleach on any blood, still odd to me though! MOO.

Is it possible he used bleach that he found at the apartment and not that he brought along his own? I can't remember the details.

 

[acehard]

Is it possible he used bleach that he found at the apartment and not that he brought along his own? I can't remember the details.

I don't think any details were provided. We use bleach regularly at home and it comes in a spray bottle.

 

[GooseyPie]

MOO. Asian male, known to Scott, family involved.

 

[MoeInVA]

MOO. Asian male, known to Scott, family involved.

Can you elaborate on why you think his family was involved?

 

[Ssschu]

MOO. Asian male, known to Scott, family involved.

Care to elaborate? You have me curious.

 

[Kaylas]

Is it possible he used bleach that he found at the apartment and not that he brought along his own? I can't remember the details.

See post below this.

 

[Kaylas]

The reports of the initial responders (911) and maybe the friends that found Scott, commented that there was a strong smell of bleach.

Scott might have been cleaning bathrooms and the kitchen that day before he was murdered.

The Arlington Police have the files with all evidence.
One day, hopefully, the speculation will stop.

This case somehow will be solved. More evidence has to be released.