CO - Jessica Ridgeway, 10, Westminster, 5 Oct 2012 - #20

[Hatfield]

Sources told the CALL7 Investigators that police would have eventually been led to Sigg, because he was one of 500 people who voluntarily submitted their DNA to investigators.

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/new...-murder-austin-sigg-appears-in-court-thursday

Huh??
BBM

We need to have a much quicker response with DNA testing results.
This is one thing that almost all states need to increase funding for and to increase staff for.


I am so tired of reading and hearing about the backlogs in DNA testing. This is a known problem, so let us fix it.

He could have easily hurt other people in the meantime. If his mom had not turned him in, then he could have hurt other people by the time they got the test results back. I dont want to even try to guess how long it would have taken them to get his DNA tested. Months, years?

 

[Madeleine74]

What is posted on that place (dark web) could be sick fantasies. That's the problem I'm sure LE faces in trying to investigate it. Not only is there a technical angle to overcome with proxy servers, but talking about that stuff is not illegal. It's sick, yes. But illegal, no. Posting pics of anyone under the age of 18 is, of course, illegal. If they can link an actual crime to one of these low lifes, that would be optimal. If it's just talk then there's nothing LE can do about that.

 

[otto]

Now that we know he is from the area and probably a life long resident, I think anything is possible. There may be stuff everywhere. jmo

The early reports were that his photo would be released, even though he is 17, to encourage others that recognize his photo to come forward with any related incidents. Police already knew that he was involved with two cases ... possibly a third in 2010. They apparently suspect that there is more to the story.

 

[Reannan]

AS would have been a pretty crappy CSI. Why would someone who won forensic science awards and studied DNA leave DNA on the backpack/body, leave his cross at a crime scene and leave body parts and other evidence at his own home? I think that most murderers wouldn't make those mistakes, and most don't study criminal science!

I think he planned this whole thing down to each and every detail. I think he intended to leave the evidence he left, and I think he committed this crime before he turned 18 so that he was not legally an adult. I think he also allegedly 'spilled his guts' to LE and turned down his right to remain silent so that his "confession" could be thrown out, along with the evidence. I think his "confession" is smattered with truth, but missing critical details - like the crime scene. Why would he not tell where he committed this horrible crime? I haven't yet thought of a good answer to that part. I believe AS thinks he is such a criminal genius that he has committed a crime that he can be exonerated from.. :what: I would love to say that I had a big ol' news flash for AS,...... but then I remember my shock and horror at the Casey Anthony verdict.

 

[Sick-of-sickos]

Sorry for my lack of multiquotes, but I am on my phone and it's difficult to navigate. I agree completely with what has been said about "damaged " dna, so to speak, inherited genetically as well as through drug use (illegal and prescription). I with a friend of mine that is a forensic psychologist who works with prisoners. I asked her if the killers show any remorse when she is talking to them. She said that most of them are so whacked out from doing drugs for so long they just don't seem to care, especially the ones who have done so many club drugs, synthetic drugs and prescription drugs. Something in the abuse of those drugs just changes something in their brain chemistry. Essentially chemically "lobotomizing" them from normal human emotion. So if AS was already mentally imbalanced, getting sent to therapy and probably getting (speculating on my part) a cocktail of medication from his psychiatrist might have made him even more unstable instead of helping him.

 

[jbirddinky]

I also believe you can't blame a parent for the crime their child committed. I've read several books discussing mental illness being hereditary. What he did is far from the norm and he should be punished to the fullest extent of the law. It is very sad that MS has to deal with all of this on an emotional level as a single parent. I am not saying saying she is a saint or an angel. However, the struggles of being a single parent in a household of mentally I'll teenagers takes a pretty courageous woman. Then, to turn him in, you know was devasting, even though she did the right thing. There father Is absent. IMO the letter he wrote was only to protect his professional image. I felt nothing heartfelt from it. He is in Mexico shooting tequila and popping pain pills from the local pharmacy (over the counter, of course) and planning his fast paced excursion to blur it all out...temporarily. He needs to do more than write a letter and go on vacation for me to feel he's devastated!

 

[PlainJaneDoe]

As for AS and what I'll assume was failed therapy for his apparent addiction, and in general... I know therapy and treatment is not "cool" for teens. Especially boys. When I was growing up in my hometown, alot of the boys ended up in court- mandated therapy /treatment for drugs or alcohol or other minor legal troubles. I can't remember any of them speaking positively about the experiences. If they did have positive experiences, it certainly wouldn't be "cool" to discuss. AS is on his own level in terms of cruelty, but there is also a societal issue with our boys in that they're not encouraged to talk about problems or emotions or bullying. It starts early. Idon't think all parents do it on purpose either. But by the time the hormones hit and things get tough, there's a lot of anger and personal problems get turned outward. Strikes me as a massive issue. jmo.

YES. It IS. My younger brother suffers from it. We did have problems at home and I feel i am partly to blame because my mental health problems took attention from him. He's in his 20s now and would like to get help for his problems, but as a teen, it wasn't HIS problem, it was everyone else's, so why should he try to change?! You know how it goes. And I think that we as a family were above-average in terms of being accepting and supportive of mental health issues...and now we can see how that is helping him, but at the time it didn't matter.

 

[SapphireSteel]

I love statistics.

They tell us things.

As much as we hate and loathe crimes like these, we can learn from them, and hopefully one of the things we can learn, is how to avoid them recurring.

Often the signs are right in front of our eyes, but for various reasons those who count refuse to learn the lessons.

My opinion is that statistics will soon show a marked increase in crimes of children against children. They probably already do, it just is being hushed up or not publicised.

I think there are many, many reasons for this increase.

I think that one of the major reasons is the general acceptance of violence in North American society...which is now being even further glorified and spread via the internet.

I don't think there is one death that can be directly attributed to this...but I do think that the "shoot em or watch em swing" mentality is a dangerous one to have around young, impressionable minds, especially minds that are innoculated to blood and guts daily via internet and tv.

I think the rest of the world is at risk of going the same way, but fortunately where I live we do not have killing sticks and legal murder as part of our way of life.

Kids always want to "show the world". When one does something horrific, like Columbine (Colorado again) it triggers off more school shootings, as other unhinged youngsters want to have an adolescent game of "mine's bigger than yours".

And so the horror will escalate and become cyclic, with every cycle more perverted than the last.

There will be a AS copycat, for example, somewhere in North America. Whether the attempt succeeds or not, we may never know...but you can guarantee some angry youth has now got the idea that dismembering a kid is the best way to shock and horrify the nation and "show" everybody.

I honestly think that ONE way to help address this epidemic of violent children is to work towards disarming society in general. This means tightening the gun laws, getting rid of the death penalty, actively working to clean up the internet and and domestic violence and child abuse.

There will always, always be wrongly wired kids. What we can do is change how well our society nurtures them.

 

[Footwarrior]

I'm bumping some info from an old thread. Here is a photo of the graffiti found at the abandoned buildings across from where Jessica's body was found. I think it could match the red cross that was in a photog's link posted by the mod Harmony. I'll try to find that link and photo (or maybe someone else can find it? xo)

Sorry it's so small.

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=27700&stc=1&d=1351214448

View attachment 27700

The building in that photo was knocked down at least two years ago if I recall correctly.

 

[Madeleine74]

I am so tired of reading and hearing about the backlogs in DNA testing. This is a known problem, so let us fix it.

All it takes is money. Lots of $$$$. If everyone contributed a few hundred $, more techs could be hired, backlogs could shrink.

 

[otto]

Sources told the CALL7 Investigators that police would have eventually been led to Sigg, because he was one of 500 people who voluntarily submitted their DNA to investigators.

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/new...-murder-austin-sigg-appears-in-court-thursday

Huh??
BBM

Investigators had also collected Paul Bernardo's DNA, but there was a delay because they canvassed a population group ... too many samples to test. In the meantime, he went on to rape and murder for about two more years.

 

[TxLady2]

This is going to sound like I've lost my marbles (which is not unlikely being immersed in this sad story), but I've been jaded by too many criminal trials where the disgusting criminal and defense team manage to blame a totally innocent victim. I just had a mental montage of trials where some defense comes completely out of left field and subtly takes jabs at the victim. Obviously (??) that won't happen here, but I already feel like if this goes to trial it's going to be all abous AS. His rights, his mind, poor him, why he should be excused, he didn't have a target, he was just a lost soul, blah blah. It happens all the time. The victims get lost. I know Jessica won't get lost here. Her community will hold up her family. But the trial will be his. He'll be getting his stage. That makes me just as sick.

Unfortunately, that's what a trial is, usually... making sure the accused gets a fair trial. However, most prosecutors do try to keep their focus on the victim, and when it's a child, I kind of think that most people will keep that in mind.

But that said, I have to bring up a point. It's becoming common now for the general public to hate defense attorneys, especially when they have to defend a person for murder. If you think about it, though, they have a job to do, and they have to do the best job they can do, whether they believe in their client's innocence or not. If they do a really bad job on purpose, they can get into serious trouble, and can even be disbarred. Someone has to do what they do, because our constitution states that every person accused of a crime deserves the right to a fair trial, and attorneys are bound by law to give them the best defense they can. I have more respect for some defense lawyers than I do for some prosecutors, because I'm sure some of them have to defend the worst of the worst. Either they are public defenders or have been appointed by the court, in which case they don't have a choice. Of course, I don't like sleazy lawyers, who does?

Whoever represents this kid, whether they're hired by the parents or appointed by the court, will have to do everything in his or her power to give him the best defense he/she can... whether we like it or not.

 

[tlcya]

We need to have a much quicker response with DNA testing results.
This is one thing that almost all states need to increase funding for and to increase staff for.


I am so tired of reading and hearing about the backlogs in DNA testing. This is a known problem, so let us fix it.

Agreed. Scientific advances have afforded us some amazing forensic tools in investigating crimes but those tools are useless when not wielded due to buget inadequacies.

 

[izzyblizzy]

I would like to know what evidence they had to make them so sure the perp was in the neighborhood. Did they take DNA all over the city or just there? What does anyone think? tia

Not all over the metro area, but they did take over 500 dna samples! And canvassed something like a 1,000 homes or more.

I think the crime scene areas made them realize this was a local. And turned out it was.

 

[Tucarra]

He was on IMVU? This is the virtual sex world online game that Zahra Bakers stepmother was using during the time Zahra Baker was killed. This is a bad site.

Not gonna go near that with the proverbial 10 foot pole....I cannot fathom what may be going on there...

But...for crissakes...hope the heck LE is monitoring and chasing these folks down....

 

[otto]

If you remember that one off the tags was what looked to be the letter A.. Maybe it was him, for Austin..

A for Austin, like Alpha and Andrew.

Sigg, er, Simm Road was close to backpack and body ... north/south route.

Does he know someone that lives in the neighborhood where the backpack was found? Did he attend a birthday party in the district? What's the connection?

 

[JodyMT]

Dad's statement didn't sound like he was going to be pitching in for a first rate defense attorney. Glad to hear that.

There was a statement on channel 9 that said the police had searched the house and interviewed Austin weeks ago, but didn't have enough for an arrest.

Are the cops now claiming they suspected him all along?

 

[GrainneDhu]

and how does a 17 yo living at home dismember a 10 yo girl? what's going on with supervision there?

Single mom, working full time?

 

[kkdj]

I keep wondering, since AS is a minor, why we have so much info on him? I thought if the perp is a minor that personal info isn't given to the public.
Am I wrong? Does certain criteria change this?
Just wondering.

 

[otto]

I'm bumping some info from an old thread. Here is a photo of the graffiti found at the abandoned buildings across from where Jessica's body was found. I think it could match the red cross that was in a photog's link posted by the mod Harmony. I'll try to find that link and photo (or maybe someone else can find it? xo)

Sorry it's so small.
View attachment 27700

I'm not seeing an A ?