Jessica Ridgeway. Credit : Westminster Colorado Police Department/AP
It was a normal Friday morning in Westminster, Colorado. Ten-year-old Jessica Ridgeway was walking to school, like she always did. She usually met her friends at a nearby park before heading to Witt Elementary together. But on October 5, 2012, Jessica never made it to the park. And she never made it to school.
School staff noticed her absence and called her mom around 10 a.m. But Jessica’s mother, who had worked a night shift and was sleeping, didn’t hear the message until hours later. When she finally listened to the voicemail, panic set in. She called police, and soon the whole town was searching for Jessica.
Authorities issued an Amber Alert and launched a massive search. Neighbors gave DNA samples. Flyers were posted everywhere. But two days later, hope started to fade when Jessica’s backpack, soaked in urine and containing her glasses, was found. And less than a week after she disappeared, police made a heartbreaking discovery: Jessica’s remains were found in black garbage bags in a nearby field in Arvada.
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The FBI got involved, even releasing a behavioral profile of the likely suspect. Still, no one had any idea who could have done something so horrific. That is, until October 23—when a call came into 911 from a woman named Mindy Sigg.
Her teenage son, 17-year-old Austin Sigg, had just confessed. He told his mother he had killed Jessica and wanted to turn himself in. In the 911 call, Mindy can be heard crying as she tells the dispatcher what Austin said: “He did it and gave me details. Her remains are in my house.”
Austin then took the phone himself and admitted it: “I murdered Jessica Ridgeway.”
He also confessed to previously attacking a jogger. And he warned police that he had knives and guns at home but promised he wouldn’t resist arrest.
As the investigation unfolded, more disturbing details came out. Austin had pulled Jessica into his Jeep while she walked past, tied her up, and drove her to his mom’s house. He told police he lied to her, pretending everything would be fine. Then, he strangled her and later admitted to sexually assaulting her. He dismembered her body and hid the rest of her remains in a crawl space.
DNA found on Jessica’s body and her water bottle matched Austin’s. That same DNA also tied him to the earlier attack on the jogger at Ketner Lake.
Austin was charged as an adult with multiple crimes, including first-degree murder, sexual assault, and kidnapping. He eventually pleaded guilty to 15 charges just days before his trial began. Since he was 17 at the time, he couldn’t be sentenced to death. Instead, he received life in prison with the possibility of parole after 40 years.
During sentencing, prosecutors painted a chilling picture of Austin as someone who took pleasure in causing pain. His defense tried to argue that he suffered from serious mental health issues, but the court didn’t buy it.
Jessica’s grandmother called him a monster who tore their family apart.
Today, Jessica is remembered at a special place now called Jessica Ridgeway Memorial Park. It’s filled with butterflies and purple decorations, her favorite color. Each year, families gather there to play, reflect, and remember the little girl who touched so many lives.
