Body Found In Jessica Ridgeway Search, Police Say

A body has been found in the search for Jessica Ridgeway, police in Arvada, Colorado have reported.

Jessica Ridgeway went missing while walking to school Friday in Westminster, Colorado, and the little girl’s backpack and water bottle were found later on the weekend, the only evidence discovered up until the location of a body last night in Arvada.

Westminster Police investigator Trevor Materasso confirmed that a body found Wednesday was possibly connected with Jessica Ridgeway’s disappearance, but Materasso stopped short of confirming that the body was that of the missing girl. He said:

“The Arvada Police Department and Westminster Police Department are working jointly with additional resources to process that crime scene … At this time, we’re unable to make any connection to the disappearance of Jessica Ridgeway. That crime scene will exist through the evening and into tomorrow morning.”

Police did confirm that the parents of Jessica Ridgeway, despite being locked in a custody dispute, were not suspects in the girl’s disappearance and that it is believed a stranger kidnapped the girl. Mentioning an attempted abduction in Wyoming that they believe may be linked to Jessica’s presumed abduction, Materasso said:

“We’re confident the parents are not involved in the disappearance of Jessica Ridgeway … The focus shifts to an unknown suspect because we think she was abducted.”

A press conference scheduled early this morning on the body found and the Jessica Ridgeway disappearance did not yield any more information to the public, and police say canvassing of neighborhoods in the area in the search for the missing girl will continue today.