Jessica Ridgeway Killer 'Infatuated With Death'
Jessica Ridgeway, 10, was brutally murdered in early October, and her killer has officially confessed to the killing. Austin Reed Sigg, 17, turned himself in to authorities and new details have emerged about Sigg's morbid fascination with death.
Right now, Sigg stands charged with two counts of murder in the first degree as well as second-degree kidnapping. He kidnapped Ridgeway as she was on her way to school before killing and dismembering her body. Sigg allegedly confessed his crime to his mother, who immediately called authorities.
"I made the phone call, and he turned himself in," Mindy Sigg said during a press conference. "That's all I have to say," she added.
Friends described Sigg as "infatuated with the idea of death," and "very quiet, shy, and to himself … gothic." While Sigg has a juvenile record, no contents have been revealed because that record is sealed. He has been "cooperative" with police, police stated.
Westminster Police Chief Lee Birk said that he hoped and prayed Sigg's arrest would give the family "some measure of closure in dealing with their horrible loss and tragedy. We hope also that knowing an arrest has been made in this case can cause our community to rest a little easier and maybe feel a little safer."
Sigg is also believed to be connected to another abduction in the area. In that case, another young woman was jogging when she was grabbed from behind and almost chloroformed. The unidentified victim was able to escape that time and provide a profile to police.
Yet police have not said why they believe Sigg is a suspect in that crime but are focused on his upcoming court date for the killing of Ridgeway. Prosecutors want to have Sigg tried as an adult, rather than a juvenile, given the severity of the crimes.