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

[MoeInVA]

Nicely identified! My son has this same backpack for school and you are correct about the angled, reflective water tube loops on the shoulder straps as well as the prominent loop for carrying by hand. Unfortunately, this is one of their most popular models. Our company did not offer this expensive of a backpack with customization. I think of consulting companies that have a younger staff would be more likely to offer a TNF backpack customized. Checking to see if any universities customize those...

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This would be a perfect lead for a friend or, former fraternity brother to call out in local interviews.

 

[j_in_c]

Using a still frame published in an article by ARL Now, I am certain it's a North Face backpack; likely the Recon based on other angles showing the large mesh section in the center.. North Face backpacks have a unique band (for lack of a better word) on both straps located around the shoulder region. If you zoom in on the photo of the POI this is clearly visible. Unfortunately, North Face backpacks are very common.

As for the hood, I would say a hood with two seams is uncommon, and that a hood with two pronounced and protruding seams in very uncommon. The first is a jacket made by North Face but the seams are not as pronounced, and the second is made by Burton which has the two pronounced seams (select the darkest color when viewing.) Owning a different color of the Burton jacket myself, I can attest that the hood hangs over my head in a way that almost covers my eyes.

Nicely identified! My son has this same backpack for school and you are correct about the angled, reflective water tube loops on the shoulder straps as well as the prominent loop for carrying by hand. Unfortunately, this is one of their most popular models. Our company did not offer this expensive of a backpack with customization. I think of consulting companies that have a younger staff would be more likely to offer a TNF backpack customized. Checking to see if any universities customize those...

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[acehard]

Using a still frame published in an article by ARL Now, I am certain it's a North Face backpack; likely the Recon based on other angles showing the large mesh section in the center.. North Face backpacks have a unique band (for lack of a better word) on both straps located around the shoulder region. If you zoom in on the photo of the POI this is clearly visible. Unfortunately, North Face backpacks are very common.

As for the hood, I would say a hood with two seams is uncommon, and that a hood with two pronounced and protruding seams in very uncommon. The first is a jacket made by North Face but the seams are not as pronounced, and the second is made by Burton which has the two pronounced seams (select the darkest color when viewing.) Owning a different color of the Burton jacket myself, I can attest that the hood hangs over my head in a way that almost covers my eyes.

Yes, can confirm about the backpack imgur.com https://imgur.com/a/xTb1JLh

Do they make custom ones for work? Putting tape to cover the North Face logo seems strange considering the rest of the backpack.

 

[acehard]

I also found a man who was ~1 year older than Scott and went to the same high school (are friends on Facebook) who also died on what I believe to be the same morning or possibly the night before. There were people posting of his passing on the Friday the 17th at 1130am, but there is no obituary or anything to confirm. Also no cause of death known. This second person has a decent criminal history complete with a few car burglaries, one of them in which he stole a gun and accidentally shot himself. I have no idea how, but that is either a crazy coincidence or it is directly related in someway. He was a felon, so if they had fingerprints, he'd be matched immediately.

@_Patches Did anything come out of this?

 

[JusticeforScott]

@_Patches Did anything come out of this?

No- that was an isolated incident where the decedent killed himself. Not related to Scott's murder at all.

 

[Mamabear2525]

Yes, can confirm about the backpack imgur.com https://imgur.com/a/xTb1JLh

Do they make custom ones for work? Putting tape to cover the North Face logo seems strange considering the rest of the backpack.

I've been following this thread but first time posting. I just heard of this case when they released the footage. I live in Virginia and have a lot of friends that live in Arlington. I spent a lot of my 20s visiting high rise apartments in the Ballston area. This is definitely unusual and unsettling. Like many of you, I am very surprised by the lack of publicity and why they waited a year to release this video.

Re: the backpack -- I agree that it looks like a North Face. A quick google search shows many websites will put a custom logo on them, often next to the NF logo which makes sense why the POI would cover with tape. It seems totally pointless to cover it if it was just a NF logo.

 

[PantsQueen]

Hi all. I saw this posted in Ballston. Very timely - it only took Arlington County Police more than a year to put up flyers!

 

[j_in_c]

I've been following this thread but first time posting. I just heard of this case when they released the footage. I live in Virginia and have a lot of friends that live in Arlington. I spent a lot of my 20s visiting high rise apartments in the Ballston area. This is definitely unusual and unsettling. Like many of you, I am very surprised by the lack of publicity and why they waited a year to release this video.

Re: the backpack -- I agree that it looks like a North Face. A quick google search shows many websites will put a custom logo on them, often next to the NF logo which makes sense why the POI would cover with tape. It seems totally pointless to cover it if it was just a NF logo.

I agree and several of the sites also list "black" as the base color for logos (although for large orders there was the option to get a specific color). This backpack comes in about 20 colors (on amazon) so I think the fact that it is all-black with tape means it could very well have been customized/corporate backpack. If it was for something like a university or for a search & rescue team, it is more likely a bright color would have been chosen. I also know that many companies wouldn't spring for TNF unless their workforce skewed young. DC is full of consultant firms that hire bright young college grads and offer lots of competitive perks. It could be really useful to find out if any of them give out TNF backpacks (specifically the recon which has a laptop sleeve and was more expensive than other TNF offerings I saw on several corporate swag sites).

 

[BoyThatsWeird]

I'm by no means a backpack expert, but it looks like The North Face Surge to me. The grey tags across the straps (no idea what to call them) look more like this model. The strap across the top looks more like this model as well as the overall appearance of the backpack. I could be wrong, but just my two cents.

 

[_Patches]

I agree and several of the sites also list "black" as the base color for logos (although for large orders there was the option to get a specific color). This backpack comes in about 20 colors (on amazon) so I think the fact that it is all-black with tape means it could very well have been customized/corporate backpack. If it was for something like a university or for a search & rescue team, it is more likely a bright color would have been chosen. I also know that many companies wouldn't spring for TNF unless their workforce skewed young. DC is full of consultant firms that hire bright young college grads and offer lots of competitive perks. It could be really useful to find out if any of them give out TNF backpacks (specifically the recon which has a laptop sleeve and was more expensive than other TNF offerings I saw on several corporate swag sites).

100% here. I used to ride the metro out to Tyson's and the amount of young tech workers with company logo backpacks is pretty high. I can't remember for the life of me what types of backpacks they were or where the logos were located, but Capital One and Alarm.com were the ones I remember seeing constantly, like at least one backpack everyday. In terms of company backpacks in general, the metro would be a good source to look for them and compare. I'd assume the actual backpack pictured is long gone, but other employees likely still use theirs.

Any of the Big 4 consulting firms would also be good candidates to look for.

 

[_Patches]

Want to comment on how suspect got in the building. Does the building have multiple entry ways other than front door of building ? Suspect likely tailgated someone into a side entrance or front of the building and took elevator, walked into an unlocked apartment and commited the homicide. It’s not uncommon for Uber Eats drivers to walk into apartment buildings in Ballston and deliver food to someone’s door..

There is a front door, then two side doors on opposite sides of the building. All had key fob access but the main door had a push button/speaker for the front desk. People could definitely tailgate into the building from any of these doors, no one would ever have not held the door for you or asked any questions.

 

[BoyThatsWeird]

LE stated they're looking for a white male 5'6"-5'8". Assuming 5'7" that puts them in the 24th percentile an American adult heights. Among white males in America, that puts him in the 17th percentile. Obviously this doesn't tell us a whole lot, but it's pretty good info knowing it can't be 80% of the white male population. This should help locals that are stopping and thinking about if they know this person. This combined with the gait should help people tremendously in trying to ID their friend, coworker, family member etc.

 

[acehard]

I'm by no means a backpack expert, but it looks like The North Face Surge to me. The grey tags across the straps (no idea what to call them) look more like this model. The strap across the top looks more like this model as well as the overall appearance of the backpack. I could be wrong, but just my two cents.

Looks like recon to me. But there are also women versions, which maybe a little smaller.

imgur.com https://imgur.com/VPEwdQD

 

[BoyThatsWeird]

Looks like recon to me. But there are also women versions, which maybe a little smaller.

imgur.com https://imgur.com/VPEwdQD

I think you're right after looking at that.

 

[Betty P]

I stopped following this thread until I saw flyers about this case in the area.
Another thing that confuses me about this is how initially the police once said they didn't believe there was a threat to the public. This led me to believe they thought it was someone he knew and they were closing in on them. Now that we know that immediate friends and family have been ruled out and they don't know who did it, how can that statement still apply? It makes no sense.

Good question. Arlington PD is probably geared towards wanting people in the community to feel safe. They don't want people to worry or move out of the area.

 

[Razz]

Using a still frame published in an article by ARL Now, I am certain it's a North Face backpack; likely the Recon based on other angles showing the large mesh section in the center.. North Face backpacks have a unique band (for lack of a better word) on both straps located around the shoulder region. If you zoom in on the photo of the POI this is clearly visible. Unfortunately, North Face backpacks are very common.

As for the hood, I would say a hood with two seams is uncommon, and that a hood with two pronounced and protruding seams in very uncommon. The first is a jacket made by North Face but the seams are not as pronounced, and the second is made by Burton which has the two pronounced seams (select the darkest color when viewing.) Owning a different color of the Burton jacket myself, I can attest that the hood hangs over my head in a way that almost covers my eyes.

I also think he is wearing a balaclava under his hoody.

I still think this may be someone who was a messenger. The gloves with the special material on the fingers that allow the ability to write on a tablet without taking them off is key imo.

The perp easily could have stood outside SR's door and said, "I have an important package for you". Heck, I would have opened the door, especially after viewing the outfit through the peephole.

 

[JMapes]

If the perp deliberately taped over a logo on the backpack, it may hold clues to identifying him, vs a random backpack picked up from a thrift shop. The backpack may very well have a customized logo, from either an employer, school, extracurricular program, internship, sports team he's a member of etc.

If he picked it up at random, or borrowed it from someone he knows, I doubt he'd go the lengths he did to try and conceal the branding. The logo/branding could be something unique, not given out to many people.

The perp doesn't have an athletic build, so my guess is that the backpack is not sport related (or, could his gait be sports injury related?). He could be a member of a particular collegiate club or program that would give out fancy outdoor backpacks as swag, but a program which might also make it easier to identify him if he didn't take extra steps to conceal his identity. moo.

 

[Kaylas]

Without details of the crime scene, unreleased by ACPD, it is impossible to figure out a motive.

Detectives must know what type of weapon caused the upper body trauma. Nothing has been released from ACPD.

What is the time on the video of the POI walking towards AVA? 130 PM on 1/17/20 or later in the afternoon? What is the time stamp on the video of the POI heading away from AVA towards the DARPA building?

If the perp/ murderer is not a threat to the general public, can this individual be a threat to SR’s loved ones? If the police have a suspect (unsure if they do) and don’t have enough evidence on suspect for a trial; what other information can they release beyond surveillance video to help identify POI?

Have the police asked the family, friends and frat brothers not to make media appearances?

The POI has a very straight nose. He could be an athlete; not all athletes are bulky. At birth, if growth plates aren’t even, slight rotation of a leg can cause toeing-in.

 

[Rush4087]

How would we find out if Konica Minolta Business Solutions might have offered The North Face Recon backpack to their young Account Executives?

 

[MoeInVA]

Two random ideas:
- someone with a prosthetic leg might have that gait. I saw some suggestions of that in comments somewhere and kind of ignored. But then I was searching pigeon-toed on Twitter and a young fit veteran with prosthetic legs had posted about how after his walking workouts he gets all pigeon toed. So there could be something there. Especially with the observation that the pigeon toe suspect on the APD video might have gotten worse with time? and oversized shoes? No expertise here, just throwing it out there.

- could the POI be affiliated with someone Scott was seeing on a break from his girlfriend (her brother or her boyfriend or ex boyfriend or husband)? That might explain why the POI would know about Scott, but Scott’s friends, family/roommate, co-workers wouldn’t recognize the POI. Just brainstorming!