Westminister Police have arrested a 17-year-old in connection with 10-year-old Jessica Ridgeway’s murder, 9News reports.
Austin Reed Sigg was taken into custody Tuesday after police received a phone call leading them to his house. They declined to elaborate on the details of his arrest.
Sigg is a student at Arapahoe Community College and lived just a mile from Ridgeway. The 10-year-old went missing on October 5 while she was walking home from school. Her body was found five days later in a park.
Police Chief Lee Birk said, “We worked on this case nonstop, around the clock, since October 5, the day of her abduction. I believe we’ve made a significant step towards justice for Jessica.”
Jefferson County District Attorney Scott Storey said charges will be filed against Sigg within the next few days. His first court appearance is scheduled for October 25 at 8 am.
Police said Ridgeway’s abduction was linked to the attempted kidnapping of a 22-year-old runner at a different park. A woman fought off a stranger who grabbed her from behind and put a rag over her mouth. Police have yet to determine if the rag, which the woman said smelled like chemicals, was meant to subdue the victim.
Police have yet to explain why the believe the two cases are linked. However, Sigg will be charged for both crimes.
Sigg’s mother, Mindy Sigg, told the Associated Press that her son turned himself in.
“I made the phone call, and he turned himself in. That’s all I have to say,” she said. It wasn’t clear whether her phone call was the one that led police to Austin Sigg’s home. Authorities notified the Ridgeway family of Sigg’s arrest Wednesday morning.
“We hope and pray that this arrest brings them some measure of closure in dealing with this enormous loss that they’ve suffered,” Birk said.
