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

[Confusion]

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<SNIP> This has been bugging me. I also think there is a chance the perp wanted to put her in/behind the shed but found it too hard to drag the body uphill. IMO. :what:

I had thought that too, except that I thought a car may have turned onto the road and he had to leave so his car wouldn't be seen there. I have no idea why he wouldn't go back and finish if that was his plan, so maybe not having the muscles to do it makes more sense.

There is nothing to suggest that part of Jessica is missing. Her body has been found, but it is not intact. <SNIP>

If she was all there (sorry if that sounds callous), why didn't they just use her dental records or fingerprints to id her right away?

That's true that motive, means, and method can shed light. We don't have any of that information though. We don't know where the cross was found, how it was found, who found it, what position it was in, whether it was on the ground, in something else, in the air, hanging, laying, sitting, leaning...we know nothing except what it looks like and it was found "at one of the crime scenes." We don't know if it got to wherever it got to accidentally or on purpose.
<SNIP>
With the fact that we know nothing, any of those scenarios and many more are possible.

If we're not supposed to try to figure out the things we don't already know, what are we doing here anyway?

Ha! Good point .. Never thought of that.. i was just looking for crosses, not even thinking the person woukd not have it on any longer..

Unless, of course, he has a stack of them at home to use as calling cards - but I don't think that's the case. This one looks like he had it for a while.

Thanks Wendy101 for confirming to everyone here that according to my daily observations, sometimes men do wear rosaries, per my previous posts.

I just saw a news video a day or so ago about that. A teenaged boy was wearing his in school and they took it away from him. They said it was a sign of gang activity, and he said it was religious and he's never been in trouble with the law or at school. Who knows?

FWIW, I think the cross looks closest to a Celtic shape. This is the closest I've found:

But, the wood on the JR one looks more like rosewood or cherry wood. If rosewood, could be from Costa Rica. There are plenty of churches which do mission trips to Costa Rica. (Of course, not to say it isn't just simple jewelry from a festival or something mass produced, either!)

Thing is, I've never seen a cross with three lines on it. Those are significant, IMO. When Jessica's great-grandma was interviewed today she indicated police believe they are symbolic.

That's what I had said my first guesses were. I think it looks like a Celtic cross made of cherry wood.

____________________________________________________________________
I just wanted to mention, too, that I don't really think the attempted abduction of the 8 year-old boy and the one of the 22 year-old woman are related. The kids described the man as 5'"-6' tall, which could just mean he looks bigger to kids tan to adults, but he was bald when the first attack happened. About 3 weeks later he had enough hair for her to notice the color of it even with a hat on. I could see it if he had hair, and had shaved it off 3 weeks later, but I'm not too sure about the other way around.

 

[hollyblue]

I disagree that finding a cross with Hebrew symbols on it would be like finding a star of David with Islamic symbols on it.

Christianity is, for those of us who are of the Christian faith, the fulfillment of all that the Hebrews were intended 'for'. The point of the Hebrew / Jewish nation was to provide the lineage that would end in Christ, when Christianity was established. While Christians are not Jews, and the New Testament was written in Greek and not Hebrew, for Christians... there is a strong tie.

And while most Christian 'branches' don't revere Jewish tradition, there are some that do. Messianic Jews, for example may or may not be "Jewish" by virtue of their family heritage, but they are Christ-following people who believe that Christ's coming did not negate the requirements outlined in the Old Testament to celebrate the feasts, circumcise on the 8th day, rest on the Sabbath, etc.. As an example, "Sabbath" is actually a Saturday, so Messianic Jews maintain Saturday as a day of rest. They celebrate Christ and believe he was God's son, and hold fast to the traditions of Christ's heritage as a Jew.

So... I have no clue about that cross, but if it appears to have elements of both Christianity (the shape itself) and Judaism (in the markings), a connection to Messianic Judaism is possible.

It's also entirely possible, if it is a mass-produced item (either from China or from a Latin nation where there are always vendors with seemingly-identical hand-carved items on every corner), that it was picked up as a souvenir just because it was a cross, and some people like crosses... and they may not have understood there was anything "Hebrew" about it's markings.

Your correct, there is a star of David with a cross for Messianic Judaism, but I could not find a cross with any Jewish symbolisms or inscriptions. I believe if it was the perps he created it himself with his own symbolisms.

 

[otto]

I think more what I mean is that he could have gotten it second hand- could have been a gift, could have found it etc. My boyfriend has a similar thing and I asked him what it means and he said he got it at a festival because he liked the wood. Absolutely no religious meaning for him.

Hopefully some other woman knows the perp and noticed his cross ... and will report it. Someone knows to whom this particular cross belongs. That person needs to step forward, even if he or she thinks it's unlikely that the friend did something like what was done to Jessica. Stepping up will prevent another child from suffering the same fate ... if he gets away with it (again), he'll do it again.

 

[scadder21]

Tree-What was the describition that they have for who they think did it? I think I read it somewhere?

 

[scadder21]

the young woman said she was grabbed by a man described as white or light-skinned and between 18 and 30 years old, with brown hair and a medium build. He was about 5 feet 8 inches tall.

Read more: Police seek links between Jessica Ridgeway and May incident nearby - The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_2...etween-jessica-ridgeway-and-may#ixzz29uxIMmWJ
Read The Denver Post's Terms of Use of its content: http://www.denverpost.com/termsofuse

 

[otto]

Your correct, there is a star of David with a cross for Messianic Judaism, but I could not find a cross with any Jewish symbolisms or inscriptions. I believe if it was the perps he created it himself with his own symbolisms.

I'm pretty sure that the murder of Jessica has absolutely nothing to do with Buddhism, Christianity, Muslimism, or Judaism.

The scratches on the cross that the murderer lost at the crime scene, by all appearances, have nothing to do with religion. The three lines do appear to be marks that were deliberately scratched on the surface. Police are interested in anyone that has similar markings on other belongings. The three scratches on the front of the cross and the three zigzag lines on the back probably mean something to the murderer ... but I doubt that it has anything to do with anything beyond sentimental value.

 

[SmoothOperator]

Very informative article just posted..but major contradictory info as to jess was NOT walking to yhe park that morning...

Heres the link..
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_21820092/jessica-ridgeway-what-happened-colorado-girl

 

[Confusion]

Very informative article just posted..but major contradictory info as to jess was NOT walking to yhe park that morning...

Heres the link..
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_21820092/jessica-ridgeway-what-happened-colorado-girl

I just read that a while ago too. It also says there that

five days later. Workers picking up trash in Pattridge Park open space discovered a plastic bag near a culvert that "looked strange." Inside were human remains that later were identified as Jessica Ridgeway's.

Read more: Jessica Ridgeway: What happened to the Colorado girl? - The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_2...way-what-happened-colorado-girl#ixzz29v4FIETL
Read The Denver Post's Terms of Use of its content: http://www.denverpost.com/termsofuse

That's the first time I've seen it stated that she was found in a plastic bag.

 

[otto]

the young woman said she was grabbed by a man described as white or light-skinned and between 18 and 30 years old, with brown hair and a medium build. He was about 5 feet 8 inches tall.

Read more: Police seek links between Jessica Ridgeway and May incident nearby - The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_2...etween-jessica-ridgeway-and-may#ixzz29uxIMmWJ
Read The Denver Post's Terms of Use of its content: http://www.denverpost.com/termsofuse

I think it was up to 35 years of age, not 30 ... and the baseball cap could have been used to obscure age (I think we can be sure it wasn't used to make him look older).

The man that put a chemical soaked cloth over the jogger's face was light skinned white (no other race or skin color mentioned) and 5'6" - 5'8" in height ... so a small man trying to over power a woman. He has a medium build on a 5'7" frame, plus or minus an inch ... scrawny. He failed in his attempts to abduct a woman ... more than once in the last two years. He is now targeting easier, more vulnerable victims, like children. That doesn't mean that he has given up on his original target, just that he's practicing with easier victims.

 

[scadder21]

What's contriditory? Isn't her friends house on the way to the park and they decided to meet there because it was so cold?

 

[scadder21]

I think it was up to 35 years of age, not 30 ... and the baseball cap could have been used to obscure age (I think we can be sure it wasn't used to make him look older).

The man that put a chemical soaked cloth over the jogger's face was light skinned white (no other race or skin color mentioned) and 5'6" - 5'8" in height ... so a small man trying to over power a woman. He has a medium build on a 5'7" frame, plus or minus an inch ... scrawny. He failed in his attempts to abduct a woman ... more than once in the last two years. He is now targeting easier, more vulnerable victims, like children. That doesn't mean that he has given up on his original target, just that he's practicing with easier victims.

What I posted was directly out of a news story. Maybe it's semantics but white or light skinned to me means white or light skinned hispanic or mixed. Medium build to me doesn't mean scrawny but instead muscular but not huge, some definition. You would think that there would be one of the witness drawing of the guy who tried to kidnap the 28 year old. They need to put that drawing out.

I have a feeling that this is a guy who wants to be around and involved with the search. The cross seemed to be left intentionally, the bookbag didn't appear until after midnight. I wonder if that area was searched prior too? I.E. after the searchers were told to go home for the night he went out with the bag to place it there.

 

[Confusion]

What's contriditory? Isn't her friends house on the way to the park and they decided to meet there because it was so cold?

No, it isn't. It says the friend's house is about 1000 feet from her house, the park is just over 450 ft (or up to 500 according to some places). Until that article, it's always been said that she was meeting her friend at the park. That's what's contradictory. MOO

 

[CHERIE.T]

Very informative article just posted..but major contradictory info as to jess was NOT walking to yhe park that morning...

Heres the link..
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_21820092/jessica-ridgeway-what-happened-colorado-girl

Thanks so much for posting this Smooth!

This piece is chock full of information.
Do you think the writers are correct about the body being found in
The garbage bag? The comment is prefaced by stating it
Was made by a police dept spokesperson. :waitasec:
IMO

 

[scadder21]

I don't have a map is it in a different direction? or Park and then friends house and then school?

 

[spamelope]

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_2...geway-murder-case-look-beyond-open?source=pkg
Investigators in Jessica Ridgeway murder case look beyond open space

Read more: Investigators in Jessica Ridgeway murder case look beyond open space - The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_2...ase-look-beyond-open?source=pkg#ixzz29vEPDR4J
Read The Denver Post's Terms of Use of its content: http://www.denverpost.com/termsofuse

 

[CHERIE.T]

I just read that a while ago too. It also says there that
That's the first time I've seen it stated that she was found in a plastic bag.

Which IF true ends "the body was displayed " thing.

 

[scadder21]

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?gl=u...d=206832840823424122921.0004cb7e7266c6963bedb

Old google information.

The Mom saw her walking in the direction of the school? Or the park? different direction. Is the friend's house in the direction of the school or the park?

Hopefully they have confirmed an actual call was made to the friend's house to speak with his dad AND what time the Dad and the friend got to school. That would clear him or cause him to be a possible suspect.

 

[Zuckerschnecke]

I just read that a while ago too. It also says there that
That's the first time I've seen it stated that she was found in a plastic bag.

Yeah first I heard it too. So was the friend's house in the other direction?

Again, she was wearing a black puffy jacket, so where is it?

Sick monster. I am starting to worry this case goes cold.

 

[Confusion]

Which IF true ends "the body was displayed " thing.

It also ends the "her body not being intact might have been caused by animals." I have mixed feelings about LE opening up about things (if they really are); it makes it much easier to try figuring things out if you have more information, but it also makes it feel like they may be at a standstill with the case. I'd like to think they're just letting bits and pieces come out hoping to push him into making a bad move.

 

[Confusion]

I don't have a map is it in a different direction? or Park and then friends house and then school?

I'm not 100% sure, but I thought the park was about halfway between their houses. :waitasec: