Body found amid search for missing Colorado girl
»Play Video
WESTMINSTER, Colo. (AP) — Authorities looking for a missing 10-year-old Colorado girl are asking the public for help finding who apparently kidnapped her, a day after a body was found in a park.
Police have yet to link the body found seven miles from Jessica Ridgeway's home to her Oct. 5 disappearance, or even say if it belongs to a child. Jessica disappeared after leaving home to meet friends at a park for her walk to school.
On Thursday, the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit released a list of changes that a person committing a crime against a child would exhibit. Among them: sudden differences in appearance, missed appointments, being absent from work, or leaving town with no explanation. Police have ruled out Jessica's parents.
"It could be your boss, it could be your friend, and ultimately it could be your family member," FBI spokesman Dave Joly said. "Bring this information to law enforcement and let us vet that to a close. If that person is not the suspect, 'Thank you for your call.' Next lead."
Joly said agents are searching for a man based on statistics for this type of crime.
The latest appeal for help comes as authorities switch from searching for Jessica to finding her abductor. Police looked for clues in a reported sighting of a car with Colorado plates in Maine and a Wyoming abduction. The FBI said Thursday that abduction was unrelated.
Police spokesman Trevor Materasso said the body discovered late Wednesday "is not intact," and that has slowed the work of identification. Materasso said no other information would be released until Friday, and he left a brief midday news conference without answering any questions.
The body was found at Pattridge Park in the Denver suburb of Arvada, which is near Westminster, where Jessica disappeared.
In tweets, Westminster police said investigators had worked overnight to identify the body. Officers searched more of the park Thursday as well as areas closer to Jessica's home. Police said photo radar vans — normally used to detect and photograph speeding vehicles — were being used to monitor some streets around the girl's house.
Police have ruled out her parents — Sarah Ridgeway, who lives in Colorado, and Jeremiah Bryant, who lives in Missouri — as suspects and have said they believe Jessica was kidnapped by an "unknown suspect."
Jessica's mother last saw her daughter walking to school. The girl never arrived, setting off a frantic search by hundreds of law enforcement officials and residents.
Aurelio Florez, who has lived in Jessica's neighborhood for six years, said it was shocking that Jessica could have vanished during a two-block walk to a park where she usually met friends before continuing on to school.
"You can see the park from her front door," he said.
Fliers about the fifth-grader were posted on nearly every house in her neighborhood of modest, two-story homes with single-car garages. Purple ribbons, a symbol of hope for her return, were tied around trees.
It was a lively area where children played outdoors, said another neighbor, Luis Pena, but since Jessica disappeared, parents are keeping their children inside and people look at each other with suspicion.
"Nobody trusts anybody anymore," he said.
The only real clue police have revealed in Jessica's disappearance is the discovery over the weekend of a backpack and water bottle that she had with her when she disappeared. Police won't discuss what was found in the bag or test results on it.
The items were found in the town of Superior, some six miles from Jessica's home.
Westminster police repeatedly have urged the public to study the details of Jessica's face in a photo — a small, gap-toothed grin, a slight bruise on her nose — and a short home video, hoping someone may have seen something.
Additional police were sent to Jessica's school, said Lynn Setzer, spokeswoman for Jeffco Public Schools. The district has its own security officers at other middle schools and high schools.
Steve Saunders, a spokesman for nearby Adams County schools, said the district is trying to strike a balance between reassuring students and their parents that they are safe, while encouraging them to be vigilant.
Saunders said the district has security officers at all middle schools and high schools, but not elementary schools. He said the district will seek more help if authorities believe it is warranted.
Police have yet to link the body found seven miles from Jessica Ridgeway's home to her Oct. 5 disappearance, or even say if it belongs to a child. Jessica disappeared after leaving home to meet friends at a park for her walk to school.
On Thursday, the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit released a list of changes that a person committing a crime against a child would exhibit. Among them: sudden differences in appearance, missed appointments, being absent from work, or leaving town with no explanation. Police have ruled out Jessica's parents.
"It could be your boss, it could be your friend, and ultimately it could be your family member," FBI spokesman Dave Joly said. "Bring this information to law enforcement and let us vet that to a close. If that person is not the suspect, 'Thank you for your call.' Next lead."
Joly said agents are searching for a man based on statistics for this type of crime.
The latest appeal for help comes as authorities switch from searching for Jessica to finding her abductor. Police looked for clues in a reported sighting of a car with Colorado plates in Maine and a Wyoming abduction. The FBI said Thursday that abduction was unrelated.
Police spokesman Trevor Materasso said the body discovered late Wednesday "is not intact," and that has slowed the work of identification. Materasso said no other information would be released until Friday, and he left a brief midday news conference without answering any questions.
The body was found at Pattridge Park in the Denver suburb of Arvada, which is near Westminster, where Jessica disappeared.
In tweets, Westminster police said investigators had worked overnight to identify the body. Officers searched more of the park Thursday as well as areas closer to Jessica's home. Police said photo radar vans — normally used to detect and photograph speeding vehicles — were being used to monitor some streets around the girl's house.
Police have ruled out her parents — Sarah Ridgeway, who lives in Colorado, and Jeremiah Bryant, who lives in Missouri — as suspects and have said they believe Jessica was kidnapped by an "unknown suspect."
Jessica's mother last saw her daughter walking to school. The girl never arrived, setting off a frantic search by hundreds of law enforcement officials and residents.
Aurelio Florez, who has lived in Jessica's neighborhood for six years, said it was shocking that Jessica could have vanished during a two-block walk to a park where she usually met friends before continuing on to school.
"You can see the park from her front door," he said.
Fliers about the fifth-grader were posted on nearly every house in her neighborhood of modest, two-story homes with single-car garages. Purple ribbons, a symbol of hope for her return, were tied around trees.
It was a lively area where children played outdoors, said another neighbor, Luis Pena, but since Jessica disappeared, parents are keeping their children inside and people look at each other with suspicion.
"Nobody trusts anybody anymore," he said.
The only real clue police have revealed in Jessica's disappearance is the discovery over the weekend of a backpack and water bottle that she had with her when she disappeared. Police won't discuss what was found in the bag or test results on it.
The items were found in the town of Superior, some six miles from Jessica's home.
Westminster police repeatedly have urged the public to study the details of Jessica's face in a photo — a small, gap-toothed grin, a slight bruise on her nose — and a short home video, hoping someone may have seen something.
Additional police were sent to Jessica's school, said Lynn Setzer, spokeswoman for Jeffco Public Schools. The district has its own security officers at other middle schools and high schools.
Steve Saunders, a spokesman for nearby Adams County schools, said the district is trying to strike a balance between reassuring students and their parents that they are safe, while encouraging them to be vigilant.
Saunders said the district has security officers at all middle schools and high schools, but not elementary schools. He said the district will seek more help if authorities believe it is warranted.
OMG they just had a press conference and confirmed that it is the body of Jessica that they found. Prayers and condolences to the family. This is so sad having to hear this. May justice be served and the killer be put to death.
Sooo Sad!!! The way this story is written, makes you believe the body is of that child. My heart breaks for the family. I pray DNA will be found on that body and the perp gets death!!!! Another sweet angel in heaven too early and at the hands of a monster.Â
Knowing that the body was dismembered makes me physically ill and my heart aches for this family having to even consider it's their child. The ONLY thing I hope her parents think about is that their baby girl was already in Heaven when her tiny body was so horribly dismembered. Dear God, this just can't happen any more and yet it will. The plastic bag that was found at the scene holds many clues & hopefully enough to find the animal that did this.
This story has weighed so heavily on me. I just cannot imagine what these parents must be going through. If this body is not Jessica, it simply means that someone else died what sounds like a violent death. I'm still holding out hope that it's not her. I can't imagine this happening to my 10 year old daughter.
Far, far, far too many of these cases recently. Breaks my heart that innocent children are so in danger.
Oh man I really hope the deceased body they found is not the girl. It would be a tragic ending to this case. My prayers go out to Jessica's family and hopefully this story will have a happier ending, although at this stage it seems unlikely. Whoever this kidnapper is NEEDS to be found and punished. May justice be served.
 @Koreanman012 If it isn't this girl it still means somebody elses child has died from apparently a tragic death. Either way, this is tragic and some family is going to be suffering.Â
This whole story is heartbreaking.
I'd hate to be the one to have to ID the body.
 @mstipton It's going to be a long time to ID the body because it was cut up in so many pieces. DNA testing will take weeks. Horrifying, no matter how you look at it.
I pray that the body they found is not this little girl, but the fact that they are refusing to comment, even on whether the body is a childs leads me to believe it is her, I would think if it were an adult they would have released that information. My heart is just breaking for her family.
Some sick pervert on the loose. Probably a sob that had already served jail time in the past for molesting children and was released to do it again except they start to kill their victims because they don't want to get caught. So sorry to the family that now will forever have a huge hole in their heart because some sick piece of subhuman trash wanted to get off. We need to start putting these freaks down, not prison but they are nothing but a disease to our society. NO child should be raped and murdered - it's absolutely disgusting and when are we going to demand more from our criminal justice system? These perverts cannot be rehab'd and quite frankly don't deserve the air we breathe.
Oh, no. Â Â
 @belsnickles Oh no is right. If this body was of another person who was clearly not Jessica they would have said so. The caption would have read "Another Body found amid search for missing Colorado girl". The fact that they aren't providing details leaves me to believe that there is a good chance this is Jessica and they want to be sure and talk to her family before they announce it publically.
Â
I hope they catch this monster.
 @Petwlkr Probably correct.  Also, probably the act of yet another individual with a history of sex offenses who should never have seen the outside of a jail cell.  I wonder when children's right  to grow up without fear of being violently assaulted and killed will trump the right of an offender to "do his time" and walk free?  When will our laws and our thinking change about the violent predators in our midst?  What will it take? Â
@Petwlkr I hate to say it, but I think you are probably right. I have no idea how a parent could ever cope with something like this, I just can't imagine... I feel horrible for all involved. MUST catch this POS as soon as possible.