CO - Jessica Ridgeway, 10, Westminster, 5 Oct 2012 - #14

[chicagofa13]

I think the style is a comfort cross, and the size is a pocket cross. Probably handmade, and the 3 marks were done on purpose. The rest could be from anything.

Clearly the FBI and WPD have access to everything we do and more. Chances are they need someone to recognize this very cross. Not just one like it or similar. IMO.

 

[waitin'4thewrld2chg]

There is something I have not seen mentioned anywhere (certainly have not been able to read all of each thread)---probably haven't seen it mentioned because it is such an unlikely scenario, but the killer did not have to be the one that placed Jessica's backpack on the sidewalk. Anyone could have put it there....a crazy wife, a crazy girlfriend, a crazy relative...someone protecting the killer or following the killer's orders or even collecting money from the killer for the "help" rendered.


I highly doubt this murder was anything other than a solitary crime, with only one person in the know, and I am going along with the general notion that it was probably a local perpetrator. However, IF the killer wanted to flee the area, he could have conceivably done so the day Jessica disappeared if he was not the one that placed the backpack on the sidewalk.

 

[Dr. Know?]

So...they are continuing to search for the rest of this girl? Jesus. Writing that makes me want to vomit.

Yes it does. Here's a good link to have as it has the news about Jessica in order as it happens. Haven't heard much about searches as they kind of went full blast on a hunt for the killer. jmo

http://denver.cbslocal.com/tag/jessica-ridgeway/

 

[RavenTrue]

Mmmm.....I am thinking of the mark on Harry Potter's forehead. Wasn't it like the one on this cross?

Harry Potter has a scar..semi-lightening bolt on his forehead. How does that compare to a cross? For us HP fans, I see no resemblance
on this. JK Rowling has absolutely zero references to actual religion in her books. But, possibly...the sign of a snake or skull.

 

[Snowbunny]

Those hatch marks on that cross remind me how some guys use to put marks on their belt buckles of how many times they had scored.

 

[tambo]

these earrings look similar to the cross, and they are satanic in nature, I wonder, maybe, possibly the victim at the lake had spoken about a long earring like this and then maybe they found one of the crosses with jessica.. just a thought...this site has alot of different things on it...oh, i should add, i was looking up upsidedown crosses and thats how i found this...

edit: lol oopppppsie,, forgot to add the link...lol it's late

http://www.etsy.com/listing/104661960/real-animal-bone-earrings-taxidermy?ref=v1_other_1

 

[mymadori]

Wow. Creepy. I am just getting on here after having to work half the night tonight.

I used to have a cross just like that...when I was like 15. Man I loved that cross! I don't remember where we got them from, but I went to a private Christian school at the time and a bunch of the youth had them.

Gonna go google some of my old church friends from back then...and see if maybe they can remember where we got them from.

I want to say mine was slightly lighter in color than that one (still made of wood with like a laquer finish) and maybe...just a little bigger. But the exact same shape. There were no etchings in it, but it was easy to do with a fingernail because of how thick the varnish stuff on it was.

 

[SmoothOperator]

Yes the comfort crosses do come in widely varing sizes with many of them having the holes at the top so that they can be worn as ncklace or bracelet or they can also be attached to a key ring.

To be honest the actual smaller sized comfort crosses such as the size of the one in this case, these small or mini comfort crosses are often times given to children..

Some of the crosses are actually anywhere from mildly offset to actually distortedly offset.. The small one pictured in this case has a slight offset appearance..

The pocket cross is very much the same as the comfort cross and actually either one of the crosses are oftens times interchangably called both pocket and comfort crosses..

Imo one extremely slight difference is that the pocket cross are not found to have holes in the top of them, but rather are just held onto or kept in "pocket"..wheras the comfort crosses are often times found to have the hole at the top(just as this one in this case does) for the option of the cross being attached to a necklace, bracelet, or keyring...

But again the "pocket cross" and the "comfort cross" are many times interchangable as far as the terminology used for each cross that serves basically the same in having a small cross one is able to carry and have with them at all times even if they should choose not to actually wear it on a necklace, bracelt or keyring..its small and compqct appearance allows one to even keep it in their "pocket"

 

[goaskalice]

I hope so!!!

I sure think it is a big break for LE...Thank God

 

[GrainneDhu]

I'm thinking the cross is most likely a fashion pendant type thing, usually threaded with a piece of leather strip as seen here...

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Whol...-Jewelry-Findings-90pcs-140740/511370386.html

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/225-...re-ancient-ways-necklace-24-pc/467683284.html

Also...crossed my mind perhaps the woman in the attempted abduction case at Ketner Lake noticed he was wearing one of these pendants??

It looks similar to those.

The one LE distributed pictures of looks deliberately cut off true to make it look more "primitive" or "ethnic."

My mama told me that things go in and out of fashion in a somewhat cyclic way; I've lived long enough to see at least 3 cycles and she was right. Which means, never throw away that cashmere sweater, it will come back!

I don't think the cross was manufactured with the three scratches on one side and the sort of arrow looking marking on the other side. Both of those look to me like someone's attempt to embellish the basic item. If I'm right, then those scratches have been covered with something like wax shoe polish or maybe something like Old English Scratch Cover (which contains a nontoxic dye to cover up scratches):

http://www.oldenglishpolish.com/sf2_scratch.shtml

To me, the scratches on either side look like what someone might have started as some sort of ethnic or "tribal" style embellishment.

If this really was left by the perp, then I bet it belongs to someone like an old GF (or he got it as a gift from her).

 

[goaskalice]

Yep, scared the begeezus out of me.

 

[Dr. Know?]

My hope is if the little 8 year old boy, he himself, his sister or friends saw a cross on this dude when he tried to abduct the boy & that the young woman running described seeing it too. Then one is found on Jessica's body. There's a basic description, maybe more & witnesses. Now to find this creep. I wish them all the luck in the world to catch him as fast as they can & never let him out again.

The article about the 8 year old was linked on a previous page here. I'll try to find it tomorrow, it's late.

 

[CHERIE.T]

Wonderful to read something new about this case. A description of a possible perp can help imensly and my fingers are crossed.
About the cross, the wooden crosses were popular in the 70s. The etched markings were part of the design.

 

[goaskalice]

I think you're tired KellysGal lol. He just seems like a normal (talented) drama student to me.

I have the hair on my arms sticking up...Hinky is right.

 

[CHERIE.T]

The cross is just another thing that is pointing me towards someone younger, as is the fact that they have DNA but no match.

Any skate boarding parks near by?

 

[Confusion]

I had thought that looking through old high school year books might be a good way to find him, but not without any kind of sketch. It's amazing how many short, light-skinned guys with brown hair and medium builds graduated in the past 12 years, even from just a few schools in that area.

 

[twall]

They may have waited so long because THEY were trying to figure it out themselves. And honestly, in that case, it would be better for them to keep hush, especially if they were feeling good that it could lead to the perp.

But you figure they not only had the same internet we do to search, they have full on experts to call in to examine it in person, to help them try to figure out it's history, style, etc. And it sounds like they came up empty handed. To be honest, we don't stand much of a chance finding it online ourselves. Their plea was not for people to tell them where they sell it, but for people to think hard if they've ever seen anyone WITH it.

I sure wish I could help answer that one!

BBM
Yep, you are correct. That is what Trevor said in this video, they looked for a replica on the internet and locally and came up empty handed so they decided to turn to the public for help which I don't think is a bad thing. I would not be surprised if the cross is hand made and one of a kind. Hopefully someone will recognize it and report it's ownership so the owner can be investigated and ruled in or out as to being involved in Jessica's death.

http://kdvr.com/2012/10/19/police-s...-that-could-lead-to-jessica-ridgeways-killer/

 

[CynColo]

Hello All, I have been trying to catch up on the threads! I agree with a few posts I've seen that it may have been a gift to the killer by someone (GF, cell mate) but looking at the zigzag from many pics now I keep thinking it's just a bad attempt at the letter "S" that someone added to it.

I was on fb looking at WMpd from an earlier post and saw the link for this cold case. Pretty creepy- both were found 20ft-ish from road not far off of I-70. Maybe it's nothing, but I got that "hinky feeling" ya'll been talking about!
http://blogs.denverpost.com/coldcases/2011/06/05/womans-dismembered-body/2284/

Also, saw on the web that there have been 2 (yes TWO) alleged luring attempts in Southern Colorado today. It looked like the puppy ruse in both but diff suspects and one was boy, the other 2 girls. http://www.kktv.com/home
I hope they catch every single one of these can't say what I'm thinking right now- Its not very ladylike.

back to reading I go....:dunno:

 

[CHERIE.T]

I don't think we will find a matching one anyway. It's crudely made, like someone carved it themselves. And I don't see any hole in it at the top like they said?

The crosses were made to look crudely. :blushing:
The hole is on the top side of the cross.

 

[sean62185]

Hmm.. the cross I am assuming they are confident the killer planted there, or with her backpack. I am pretty confident that the killer just didn't mistakingly drop it at the scene ot in her backpack.

Peter Brendt(who doesn't get paid to be a profiler, but does extensive study of SK's, there crimes, why they do what they do, and gives a reference to related cases like it) for those that want to discredit. He told me last night, a cross near a victim is usually a sign of remorse. But it can also mean it is a Christian fundamentalist.

I saw someone post that the abduction day was significant day for the occult. Which is true..

Eight-corner-shape and three notches can also be symbols of the eight Christian virtues and the Trinity. This would place it in the very fundamentalist Christian range. And since October 5th, is also one of the original Roman holidays, taken over by the Sol Invictus cult, which then was united with the Christians by Emperor Constantine, Oct 5th is not too un-Christian. In fact, a lot of European Christian churches have the European version of Thanksgiving around that time. So, maybe it's not "opening of the underworld" but "bringing in the harvest".

Also, another interesting but irrelevent note. Last seasons main antagonist on Dexter was a Christian fundamentalist mad man, who did terrible things to his victims(men, women, children I believe). He thought the world was coming to an end, he needed to make certain kinds of elaborat sacrificed in order to please god.

Let's just assume she was not sexually assaulted(IMO unlikely, unfortunately). What would this killers motives be? Could she of been a sacrifice? Or just the victim of a sadist? Why leave the cross if so? Especially if the killer feels no emotions? Was it just a decoy?

To me, this story went from being a horrible, despicable event to a child. To possibly something bigger. Everything seems to have went exactly how the killer wanted it, it appears. Everything just seems way too perfect, for some pervert who just had the urge, abducting a child, and killing her.

This guy is very organized. It appears this was all a plan. He appears to be 1 step ahead at all times. He is way tOo organized for someone to have a psychotic break. He is very dangerous and if it indeed was him who tried to abduct the 22 year old. This possibly isn't s sexually motivated crime. So anyone could be his next victim if so(assuming he is the same perp). I don't know. I do know the cross seems to add a whole new spin on things.

What do the 3 etches mean? Also is there 3 etches on both sides? It has to have some meaning to the killer. I have never seen a cross with marks left like that before. Could it be his 3rd victim or 6th depending on if there are 3 more on the other side?

Also, 3 etches.. If he is the one who abducted the girls from Iowa over the summer(unfortunately I am assuming they are not with us anymore), that would be 3? I don't know. Just throwing things out there. This whole case is so confusing. I don't know what to think. I guess we won't know until this person is caught.

But how long is it going to take? If someone is as organized as this one appears to be(35 agency's trying to figure who this guy is?). Why would he leave a cross at a crime scene that people could use to identify him? I am assuming he left no prints or DNA on it? They seem to know its his so I am assuming it was left on the body or in her backpack.

I wonder if it was from a previous victim? Maybe a taunt? Who knows with this guy..