[00:02:00] [00:01:00] [00:00:00] Mary: [00:00:00] Welcome back friends. I'm so glad to have you here. I'm your host, Mary O. I have with me return guests and the always wonderful Fernando.
[00:02:27]Fernando: [00:02:27] Thank you for having me. It's always good to be here.
[00:02:29] Mary: [00:02:29] Welcome back. I'm really excited for today's case. And the most exciting thing about recording right now is that the podcast has just hit 5,000 streams.
[00:02:39] Super excited about that. Yaaaayyyy! Thank you everybody. I'm going to go out and buy some Krispy Kremes to celebrate. So I'll make a post on the Instagram later. Krispy Kremes and red bull. That's the plan.
[00:02:52]Fernando: [00:02:52] I mean, it's a celebration you can indulge.
[00:02:55] Mary: [00:02:55] Yes, exactly. I want to give a huge shout out to our patrons. Seven [00:03:00] patrons now, Caitlin Meredith Ashlyn, Dana Kirin, Rachel and Mikey. Thanks so much! On the Patreon, there are now more perks specific to each level. If you go to Patreon.com/MonstersWalk, you'll be able to see all the tiers. There is exclusive content going up there. The first episode is up right now on there. It's going to stay exclusive to the patrons. Thank you so much again.
[00:03:25] The other option that we have, if you want to support the pod on Instagram, there is a link in the podcast bio called Buy Me A Red Bull. Right now we have a goal of a hundred dollars on there. We've reached 50% of that goal. And when we hit a hundred, I will put out a bonus episode onto the main feed.
[00:03:42] Thank you so much to everyone who has boughtRed Bulls for the podcast. I'm super excited to go out and buy some tonight because I have none in the house! We're recording with Diet Pepsi tonight. Don't worry. I'm still going to bring that same energy today's case.
[00:03:57] The content warning is sexual abuse of [00:04:00] children, child murder, kidnapping, and improper disposal of human remains.
[00:04:04] The sources that I used for this case are the unmasked YouTube channel, the video called Terror In Colorado Wikipedia. Murderpedia and an article by Jordan Stephan for the Denver post.
[00:04:17] This case is very local for me. Westminster is about 20 minutes outside of Denver, for context. Today, we are talking about the murder of Jessica Ridgeway.
[00:04:29] Jessica Ridgeway was born on January 23rd, 2002. Her parents didn't stay together after she was born, but they did successfully co-parent her and both were very active in Jessica's life. She lives with her mother, grandmother and her aunt. She was very cheerful, happy, and upbeat. And she had a really active imagination.
[00:04:51] She loves school and she was pretty popular there. And she was a huge animal lover on October 5th, 2012. Ten-year-old [00:05:00] Jessica left for school and she would never return home. Jessica left around 8:30 AM. She was walking three blocks to go meet a friend and his dad. And then they would all walk to school together.
[00:05:12] The park where they were meeting was about a half mile from the school and the neighbors waited there for her. But when she didn't get there by eight 40, they left because school started at 8:50. Jessica is in the fifth grade.
[00:05:25] Fernando: [00:05:25] Is this something that she normally did? She always went and walked there.
[00:05:29] Mary: [00:05:29] This was definitely part of the routine. School wasn't far from their house. So this made sense for Jessica and for this other family. A few months before Jessica disappeared, very close to her home at Kentner Lake, a woman was attacked while jogging. It was an attempted kidnapping slash sexual assault. A man had run up behind her and pushed a rag into her face that smelled of chemicals.
[00:05:57] She was able to push him off and escape [00:06:00] and went on to assist police and make a composite sketch. Police are also able to retrieve DNA evidence from this attack and they released this sketch to the public Jessica school Witt elementary calls her mother, Sarah at 10:00 AM to check in because Jessica never showed up to school.
[00:06:18] Jessica's mom works the overnight shift. So she goes to sleep right after Jessica leaves for school. She misses the call and doesn't get the voicemail until she wakes up around 4:30 PM.
[00:06:30] Fernando: [00:06:30] Yeah. It's been seven, eight hours. Something like that. I'm surprised that the father that Jessica was going to meet, didn't try to contact her mom.
[00:06:40] Mary: [00:06:40] Yeah, that seems a little odd, but he probably thought nothing of it, right? Like, Oh, they're just running late. When Jessica's mom wakes up, she contacts Westminster police immediately. It still took about five hours before the protocols started for the Colorado Bureau of investigation to call [00:07:00] an Amber alert.
[00:07:00] Jessica's mom and aunt were at work, so they also didn't get any messages. Until later that evening, police go to the school to start questioning people and they go door to door, looking for Jessica at all the homes in the neighborhood, around the school, a huge group of people gather to start helping coordinate a search for Jessica and at 2:00 AM.
[00:07:22] The cops stopped the search and say, we have to pick this up tomorrow in one of the largest search and rescues in Colorado history. Over 2000 people showed up the following day to help. Well, they have divers start looking in Kentner Lake and search dogs are brought in to search the entire neighborhood.
[00:07:41] They are searching everywhere around Jessica's home, everywhere around the school. And in other open space areas in Westminster. One thing about Colorado is that they really love their open space nature, preserve hikes. There's a big emphasis on like the natural resources, [00:08:00] the rugged terrain, the wild wild West.
[00:08:02] It is gorgeous out here. Like there's a reason Mike and I want to stay out here. So there's a lot of these parks or just areas where it's just big patches of land, where you can go and walk around. Another area that they search extensively is rock Creek because there are more open space areas all around there.
[00:08:22] Jessica's mom describes the process of gradually having her hope, chipped away as they eliminate every reasonable explanation of where Jessica could be, why she could be missing. That has to be the worst feeling in the world.
[00:08:38] Fernando: [00:08:38] Absolutely. The not knowing, you know, I'm sure at a certain point you're like, you know, hope for the best, but you prepare for the worst and you just want answers.
[00:08:46] Mary: [00:08:46] Yeah. I mean, I can only imagine the things that you would think of to try to explain what happened.
[00:08:53] Fernando: [00:08:53] Right. Where is Jessica's father? Still around at this point?
[00:08:58] Mary: [00:08:58] They've been [00:09:00] co-parenting Jessica, but she lives with her mom, her aunt and her grandma full time. Jessica's mom has primary custody. On Sunday, October 7th, Jessica's backpack is found on the sidewalk near Alpha Court and Andrew Drive in the Rock Creek neighborhood in Superior.
[00:09:19] Fernando: [00:09:19] About how far is it from where they were? Where were they originally? What was the name of the town?
[00:09:24] Mary: [00:09:24] So I guess I should explain this a little bit to the best of my ability. Westminster is a bunch of neighborhoods, but there's a bunch of other cities, small cities all around. So from Westminster, you can reach Broomfield and Superior and Thornton and all these other cities. This neighborhood in Superior is 6.4 miles away from Jessica's home. A man had posted on Facebook about finding this weird backpack because there was a water bottle that was labeled with Jessica's name [00:10:00] in the backpack. A random commenter told him about Jessica's disappearance and he contacted the police right away. The CBI Colorado Bureau of investigation analyzes the backpack for evidence. They find urine soaked clothing inside as well as Jessica's trademark purple glasses. She wore these glasses every day, all of the time. The cops are also able to match DNA evidence found on the backpack to the attacker who attacked the jogger in Kentner.
[00:10:32] They still don't know who it is.
[00:10:33] Correct.
[00:10:35] The DNA profile, no idea.
[00:10:37] And a sketch.
[00:10:38] And the sketch. Yep.
[00:10:40]Late in the day on October 11th, Jessica's body was found in Arvada, which is another nearby city near the Pattridge Park open space and highway 93, which is. Seven miles from Jessica's home in the other direction from Superior. Jessica's remains are found there in [00:11:00] a large trash bag.
[00:11:01] Jessica's body had been dismembered. The community is highly impacted. Most parents started leaving work early to just go pick up their kids. Anyone who previously was letting their kids walk home that ended right away. Jessica's funeral is held on October 16th and over 2000 people attend.
[00:11:22] Fernando: [00:11:22] So this definitely sent waves throughout the community.
[00:11:27] Mary: [00:11:27] And I know someone who remembers all of these memorials was a huge deal when some of the former students that I worked with were in high school out here. So that adds a layer to it too. Like they vividly remember all of the news coverage and everything going on about this case.
[00:11:45] On October 19th, investigators release an image of a small one inch wooden cross that they say was found in their investigation.
[00:11:54] Fernando: [00:11:54] Found in the backpack?
[00:11:55] They do not disclose
[00:11:57] Mary: [00:11:57] anything else about the cross. At this point, [00:12:00] they only say that the cross is a key in solving Jessica's murder and they ask anyone who recognizes it to please come forward. A woman calls in and says that the cross looks like one that her friend's son, Austin Sigg wears regularly. The woman also says that she recently had a strange conversation with Mindy, her friend, about DNA and body disposal.
[00:12:26] Yeah. That is an odd conversation.
[00:12:28] This friend being very worried about Austin's strange behavior and how he has access to the areas that Jessica went missing from. Police go to Austin's home to ask him about the cross. They find that Austin lives about a mile away from Jessica.
[00:12:45] Fernando: [00:12:45] So how old was Austin?
[00:12:47] Mary: [00:12:47] Austin was 17.
[00:12:48] Fernando: [00:12:48] So young. I just, I assumed she was going to be like mid twenties, maybe something like that. A little bit older. 17 God and you're. Yeah.
[00:12:57] Mary: [00:12:57] Depraved fuck.
[00:13:00] [00:12:59] Austin agrees to be questioned. But he tells police that he was at home and asleep when Jessica went missing. He does submit to an epithelial swab for DNA. And so they swab his cheek right there on the spot.
[00:13:15] On October 22nd, the cops announced publicly that they have made a DNA connection between the Kentner Lake attack and Jessica's murder. At this moment, Austin is shitting several bricks.
[00:13:29] He is sure that they have connected his DNA and they're going to come and take him away any minute. On that day, Austin actually tells his classmates that he feels sick and wobbly. You feel bad, you feel so bad? Your stomach's upset? Piece of shit.
[00:13:49] I'm guessing that I don't want to say guilt. I want to say it's fear.
[00:13:52] Fear of being caught. Yes.
[00:13:54] Fernando: [00:13:54] Yeah, because he doesn't feel guilt or else he wouldn't have done anything after the [00:14:00] first attack or maybe not even had that initial attack at all.
[00:14:03]Mary: [00:14:03] Maybe just get fucking help.
[00:14:06] Somehow. There is a mix-up at the lab and Austin's DNA had been put aside with samples that had already been cleared.
[00:14:15] Fernando: [00:14:15] How does that happen?
[00:14:17] Mary: [00:14:17] Y'all. Y'all.
[00:14:19] Fernando: [00:14:19] So what happens? They never test this. They never test it or they test the wrong sample or what happened?
[00:14:25] Mary: [00:14:25] So Austin doesn't know this is what's happened. He just feels sick and wobbly. Then on the night of October 22nd, he sleeps in bed with his mom, Mindy.
[00:14:36] Fernando: [00:14:36] Which I'm assuming is unusual. For him I mean.
[00:14:40] Mary: [00:14:40] I fucking hope so.
[00:14:41] Fernando: [00:14:41] Yeah.
[00:14:42] I don't know. Obviously his usual is different than most people.
[00:14:48]Mary: [00:14:48] We'll go ahead and assume that this is fucking weird. I have no problem assuming that in this moment.
[00:14:55] The next morning, October 23rd, when they wake up, Austin [00:15:00] tells his mother. I have to talk to you. I have done something bad. Which is the understatement of the motherfucking century.
[00:15:07] My dude. This is not like I put a fucking ding on your bumper. I don't have to put this in, but remember when we tried to have a party at your house in high school and the cops showed up with a flyer at your mom's house that's I did something bad.
[00:15:21] Fernando: [00:15:21] Yeah. I remember that shit . Like, yeah, we found it on some kids from Poughkeepsie. I was like, what? I handed shit out like 12 hours ago! And this was before, like social media and everything.
[00:15:34] Mary: [00:15:34] Like myspace probably had just started. Yeah.
[00:15:38] Fernando: [00:15:38] I don't even remember if I had, I, yeah, I must have had a MySpace.
[00:15:42] Mary: [00:15:42] She immediately asks if it's about Jessica and he says that it is. She calls nine one one.
[00:15:49] I wrote out all of this. I really think that people should listen to it. Do you think I should put the audio in?
[00:15:58] Fernando: [00:15:58] I think you should. I would like [00:16:00] to hear it.
[00:16:00] Mindy Sigg: [00:16:00] Hi. Um, I need you to come to my house, my son just confessed to the Jessica Ridgeway murder. . ,
[00:16:12] 911 Operator Molly : [00:16:12] I know I want, I want you to tell me what's going on, can you tell me exactly what he said?
[00:16:18] Mindy Sigg: [00:16:18] That he did it and he gave me details. And her remains are in my house.
[00:16:23] 911 Operator Molly : [00:16:23] Did you see them?
[00:16:24] Mindy Sigg: [00:16:24] No. .
[00:16:25] 911 Operator Molly : [00:16:25] Is he there with you?
[00:16:26] Mindy Sigg: [00:16:26] Yes.
[00:16:27] 911 Operator Molly : [00:16:27] Is he cooperative?
[00:16:29] Mindy Sigg: [00:16:29] Yeah.
[00:16:30]911 Operator Molly : [00:16:30] I understand that you're probably feeling pretty crappy right now, but I want you to know, that you did the right thing.
[00:16:38] He, he did it. He just wanted me to call, he's turning himself in .
[00:16:42] Okay. Do you think that he's going to be cooperative with the officers?
[00:16:46] Absolutely.
[00:16:47] Okay. Do you think that Austin would talk to me?
[00:16:51] Okay. Is this Austin?.
[00:16:57] Austin Sigg: [00:16:57] Yes, it is.
[00:16:58] 911 Operator Molly : [00:16:58] Hi Austin. This is Molly at [00:17:00] the Westminster police department. Can you tell me a little bit about what's going on right now or how you're feeling or how did this come about?
[00:17:10]Austin Sigg: [00:17:10] I don't get why you're asking these questions. I murdered Jessica Ridgeway, okay. I have proof that I did it. I, there is no other question. You just have to send the squad cars, something down here and I will answer all the questions that you want to ask. Or anyone wants to ask of me.
[00:17:33] 911 Operator Molly : [00:17:33] Can you tell me what part of the house that her remains are in?
[00:17:38]Austin Sigg: [00:17:38] In the crawlspace.
[00:17:39]911 Operator Molly : [00:17:39] Okay. Did you know Jessica before this?
[00:17:43] Austin Sigg: [00:17:43] No.
[00:17:44]911 Operator Molly : [00:17:44] Are you going to school anywhere?
[00:17:48] Austin Sigg: [00:17:48] Arapahoe Community College.
[00:17:50]911 Operator Molly : [00:17:50] And you're 17.
[00:17:52]Austin Sigg: [00:17:52] Yes.
[00:17:53] 911 Operator Molly : [00:17:53] Okay. Have you committed any crimes like this before?
[00:17:57] Austin Sigg: [00:17:57] So the only other thing that [00:18:00] I have done that before, this was the incident where the woman got attacked. That was me as well. And other than that, the only criminal history, I had a speeding ticket.
[00:18:15] Fernando: [00:18:15] You know what his mom, I, I feel for her. I do absolutely. You know, but I also commend her for knowing immediately what to do, you know, not try to hide it.
[00:18:26]Mary: [00:18:26] I don't know because she had that weird conversation with her friend, which makes me think, at least she had suspicions.
[00:18:34]Fernando: [00:18:34] That's fair. Yeah.
[00:18:36]Mary: [00:18:36] Because why would you be talking about DNA and like, wondering about people are talking about this case, but not wondering about like, Oh, how do you think they're doing that?
[00:18:47] Fernando: [00:18:47] Right. I mean, you raise a valid point there.
[00:18:50]Mary: [00:18:50] Later, after what we listened to just now, Mindy gets back on the phone. Austin's done on the phone and Mindy gets back on the phone. I know that the [00:19:00] operator has to be reassuring to them too, but it felt so gross that she's like, okay. Yup. Okay.
[00:19:07]Fernando: [00:19:07] Like being accomodating?.
[00:19:08] Mary: [00:19:08] Yeah. She's like, I know she's keeping it calm, but fuck,, that job must suck.
[00:19:15] Fernando: [00:19:15] I'm sure it does. Maybe they figured, you know what, they're going to be asked these questions a million times anyway, like have they just wanted to get the ball rolling ?
[00:19:24] Mary: [00:19:24] Let's get this recorded right now, whatever information we can gather on this recorded line. Yeah.
[00:19:31] Eventually the operator says, I assure you, we are taking this seriously. And Mindy goes full Karen and says, I hope you take this serious because this is important. Can you please hurry up? Because I need to call his dad. She starts demanding an ETA from the 911 operator, and basically tells them to stop asking questions if they want to keep her on the phone.
[00:19:54] Fernando: [00:19:54] Oh, well, I mean, I only heard the beginning of the call and I didn't get that vibe at all. So [00:20:00] obviously, a switch was flipped.
[00:20:02] Mary: [00:20:02] Molly, the 911 operator doesn't give a fuck. She keeps asking questions anyway, and then starts asking if Austin has any mental health issues or if he's ever seen a counselor.
[00:20:12] Mindy says that Austin did see a counselor in the past, for pornog and quote, we were talking and we think that might've led to this, but I don't know.
[00:20:24] Fernando: [00:20:24] How do you connect?
[00:20:26] Mary: [00:20:26] You upgraded from a pornog addiction, which is a legitimate thing. That's not a stepping stool or a stepping stone.
[00:20:36] Yeah, to attempted assault and child murder.
[00:20:39] Correct.
[00:20:40] Fernando: [00:20:40] Yeah.
[00:20:41] Mary: [00:20:41] He dismembered her remains. Ugh.
[00:20:45] Molly, the 911 operator asked Mindy, what kind of classes Austin is taking at Arapaho community college. Mindy laughs and says to be a mortician.
[00:20:57] Fernando: [00:20:57] Wow. That doesn't sit well with me, that she could [00:21:00] laugh with what's going on. You know?
[00:21:02] Mary: [00:21:02] It's one of those like awkward chuckle, you know what I mean? Like ha but still gross. Mindy, gross.
[00:21:10] Fernando: [00:21:10] Yeah.
[00:21:11] Mary: [00:21:11] She then tells the operator to hurry up because she and Austin are getting really anxious.
[00:21:17] Fernando: [00:21:17] She's kind of making herself out to be the victim a little bit.
[00:21:20] Mary: [00:21:20] Mindy. What's up with this? Why are you centering yourself and Austin in all of this?
[00:21:25] Fernando: [00:21:25] I'm sure there is a level of stress there obviously. But doesn't mean that this is the best way to react.
[00:21:33] Mary: [00:21:33] Austin admits to hiding in the back of his Jeep, as Jessica walked by and then jumping out to abduct her. He used zip ties to restrain her and drove her back to his house. Jessica was terrified and had wet herself at some point during all this. She kept asking Austin if he knew her mom, which just breaks my heart.
[00:21:55] Austin claims that they just watched TV together [00:22:00] for a while, but there's no way to verify this. This is just all what he's saying, Austin then sexually assaulted. Jessica made her change into his own clothing and cut off her hair.
[00:22:13] Fernando: [00:22:13] What's the hair. It's like a power thing?
[00:22:17]Mary: [00:22:17] I have no idea. It's just disgusting.
[00:22:22] Fernando: [00:22:22] Absolutely.
[00:22:23] Mary: [00:22:23] There is no excuse for why you could do this. He then makes her put her urine soaked clothing in her backpack. He makes her turn away from him and attempts to strangle her with the zip tie. He describes to the police realizing there wasn't enough quote, tensile strength, and he had to manually strangle her instead.
[00:22:46] Fernando: [00:22:46] I have no words.
[00:22:48] Mary: [00:22:48] The fact that you can talk about it in such a clinical removed way.
[00:22:53] Fernando: [00:22:53] Because when I was listening to that portion of the call, I felt like he was eerily [00:23:00] nonchalant when he was talking about what he had done.
[00:23:02] Mary: [00:23:02] Right.
[00:23:03] Fernando: [00:23:03] And that's kind of what you're reiterating here. It's more being upset about. What's about to happen to him than being upset about what he did.
[00:23:11] Mary: [00:23:11] Austin then realizes that after trying to strangle her manually, this did not work either. And Jessica is still alive. He forces her into the bathroom and drowns her in a bath of scalding hot water. Like the torture of this poor little girl.
[00:23:30] He then dismembers her body and flushes some of the smaller pieces of her remains down the toilet.
[00:23:37]Fernando: [00:23:37] I feel like he's trying to be like the absolute fucking worst. He's just inflicting as much pain as possible.
[00:23:44] Mary: [00:23:44] It's whatever the worst thing that I can think of, the most depraved horrible thing.
[00:23:51] He keeps and labels some of her organs and her skull and creates a storage space in the crawl [00:24:00] space. The wooden cross that police had found had been put inside of Jessica's vagina.
[00:24:07] Fernando: [00:24:07] What the fuck?
[00:24:08] Mary: [00:24:08] Yeah. .
[00:24:09]Fernando: [00:24:09] Did they ask him about that? I'm like, what the hell is the rationale?
[00:24:15] Mary: [00:24:15] He ever talks about his, any semblance of whatever reasoning or whatever motive he had? I think that he only gives them information about the actions that he specifically took. No motivation.
[00:24:32] He put the rest of her remains into trash bags. When he had heard that the police had brought out bloodhounds to search, he got anxious and that's when he drove Jessica's backpack to Superior and dumped it there, he then drove her remains to Arvada to dispose of in Pattridge park.
[00:24:52] Eventually police wear Austin down enough to admit that kidnapping Jessica had been part of his sexual [00:25:00] fantasies, which we already knew that from the actions that you took, you fucking sicko.
[00:25:05] Police get search warrants for Austin and Mindy's cars, as well as. Mindy's house specifically mentioned in the warrant for Mindy's house, where the garbage bags that Austin used to dispose of Jessica's remains. They were Kirkland brand from Costco, and there is a big Costco in superior that I have frequented many a time. So I'm going to assume it was that one.
[00:25:29] In his room, Austin has some weed, a lot of laptops and other electronics and a lot of weapons. He has a lot of knives. He has a lot of guns.
[00:25:41] Fernando: [00:25:41] How does he get guns? He's 17.
[00:25:43] Mary: [00:25:43] That's a good point. I don't know.
[00:25:45] Austin's car is full of just trash and empty fast food containers, but also more evidence. For some reason, Austin has a medical marijuana card, never disclosed why that I could. Find [00:26:00] the investigation also finds that they had interviewed Mindy at her house in the original neighborhood canvas. So it's very likely that Jessica's remains were there while the police were there in the house.
[00:26:14] Fernando: [00:26:14] And did anything stand out about her interview?
[00:26:16] Mary: [00:26:16] No, I don't think so.
[00:26:18] In the crawl space, they find Jessica's remains. As well as several weed plants. In Austin's interrogation, he admits to researching how to DIY chloroform. And he admits that in the Kentner Lake attack, he had watched the jogger for a little while, just hanging out. When they ask him why he did that. Austin says, well, I planned to do the same thing to her that I did to Jessica.
[00:26:44] Fernando: [00:26:44] I'm curious also how, I guess he was just looking for anyone because an adult versus a child. I feel like usually people, you know, you would go after one or the other, you know.
[00:26:57]Mary: [00:26:57] I have a series of very disturbing [00:27:00] interrogation quotes here and the first one:
[00:27:02] Detective: so you were out for lack of a better word, you were out hunting.
[00:27:07] Austin: yeah. That's the only word I could think of.
[00:27:11] Fernando: [00:27:11] Sick fuck.
[00:27:11] Mary: [00:27:11] Yes.
[00:27:12] Fernando: [00:27:12] Those are two words I can think of.
[00:27:14] Mary: [00:27:14] The detective said, had you ever seen her before?
[00:27:17] Austin: no, she was wrong place. Wrong time.
[00:27:20] Like you callous prick.
[00:27:22] Austin also said, quote, I lied to her. I told her everything was going to be okay. But the second I pulled her into my car. I knew she was dead.
[00:27:33] Like.
[00:27:34] Fernando: [00:27:34] Shit-Tee.
[00:27:36] Mary: [00:27:36] You had the opportunity. I need more help than what I've been getting. You were getting help, at one point. You had a chance to not do this.
[00:27:49] Fernando: [00:27:49] And you still chose to.
[00:27:50] Mary: [00:27:50] Several chances. You're born into a position of privilege enough that you can be getting help psychologically. You're not taking it. You're not [00:28:00] following through with it. You're lying to everyone around you. And you're going to school to be a fucking mortician, knowing that you have this other shit that's not okay going on.
[00:28:11] Austin actually bristles and gets upset when the detectives directly ask him about sexually assaulting Jessica. And at this point he starts lying. He talks about washing Jessica's remains repeatedly before he had taken them to the park quote, the dismemberment was from my forensic scientist class serial killers. The successful ones are the ones who could always make the body disappear.
[00:28:36] Fernando: [00:28:36] Very cold, very cold and calculated.
[00:28:39] Mary: [00:28:39] Is there words? Fucking sick piece of shit.
[00:28:43] Fernando: [00:28:43] Yeah, the way that you're describing him. He's very clinical, just, this is what I did.
[00:28:49] Mary: [00:28:49] How dare you suggest that I sexually assaulted her, even though all of the evidence points to that felt the need to repeatedly wash her body and do all this [00:29:00] extreme forensic concealment. You knew what you were doing was wrong.
[00:29:04] Fernando: [00:29:04] Absolutely.
[00:29:04] Mary: [00:29:04] There's no question about that.
[00:29:06] Austin is charged with 19 felony counts, but he is tried as a juvenile. So he is not eligible for the death penalty in Colorado. Mindy Sigg said that Austin had told her that he didn't rape or torture Jessica. Specific, if you didn't do it, that you felt the need to clarify that, but we know that you did it.
[00:29:29] Psychologist Anna Salter testified for the prosecution. While she didn't directly examine Austin, she reviewed the evidence police interviews and all of the other reports and facts in the case, while writing a report for the prosecution. Salter said that Austin had hoped to hide what he thought was the worst offense from his mother. So still cannot.
[00:29:53]Fernando: [00:29:53] Yeah.
[00:29:53]Mary: [00:29:53] Fully take responsibility. I have to lie. This one part is so bad. Like all the other stuff is fine, [00:30:00] but this, this one part shows that this is a sex crime.
[00:30:03] Fernando: [00:30:03] I was going to say it's okay. Like the kidnapping and the murder. I'll admit to that. No, no, no, Nope, no sexual assault whatsoever.
[00:30:12] Mary: [00:30:12] Fucking Norman Bates ass sleeping in bed with your mom at 17 ass weird mother fucker. Ugh.
[00:30:20] Salter also said that Austin was likely very sexually aroused by dismemberment, especially because of him keeping certain body parts. He was particularly interested in Jessica's skull.
[00:30:33] Fernando: [00:30:33] I assumed it was a trophy.
[00:30:35] Mary: [00:30:35] That is definitely what it seems like. It makes you wonder too about his desire to go to mortuary school, the rationale or his reasoning for why he wanted to do that.
[00:30:45]Fernando: [00:30:45] maybe continue these crimes, but with the upper hand.
[00:30:49]Mary: [00:30:49] You lived above a mortuary home for a while. If he was to open his own business who's to know what happens. There's all those scams with people who harvest [00:31:00] bones.
[00:31:00] Jessica's mother made the decision to not address Austin in the courtroom. She decided instead to show a picture slideshow of Jessica for her victim impact statement, she said, quote, I don't think the defendant has a right to hear how he is affected me. Once we walk out of this courtroom, we will no longer remember his name. Only the legacy that Jessica left behind. Austin was ultimately sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 40 years on November 19th, 2013.
[00:31:34] Rightfully so. Actually, no, he shouldn't even have the chance of parole.
[00:31:38] Let me at him. I got some ideas.
[00:31:41] Fernando: [00:31:41] He was fortunate enough to get out of the death penalty. I wasn't sure.
[00:31:44] Mary: [00:31:44] Just close enough to be tried as a juvenile. Yeah.
[00:31:48] Fernando: [00:31:48] Right.
[00:31:48] Mary: [00:31:48] just a disgusting piece of shit. Human garbage, awful trash.
[00:31:56] There's a few things that come to mind. I said, Patrick Bateman, and the [00:32:00] reason I said that is this very clinical, I can completely compartmentalize everything that I'm doing.
[00:32:06] It's bad enough that you have these impulses. But the fact that you try to enact them on an adult woman and you couldn't do that. So you're like, Oh, I'm going to have to go to a child and someone that I will be able to easily overpower and manipulate. Disgusting.
[00:32:24] Fernando: [00:32:24] Absolutely. He essentially got away with the first incident. And he could have taken a step back and been like, I need help.
[00:32:33] Mary: [00:32:33] He could have turned himself in for that one!
[00:32:36] There's nothing we can say. That's going to be able to rationalize it because there is nothing that you can do to justify this.
[00:32:42] Fernando: [00:32:42] You're right, yeah. .
[00:32:44] Mary: [00:32:44] I do know that Jessica's memorial,, A art installation was put up of a purple ribbon. Purple was her favorite color. And that is in her favorite park nearby. The park was also renamed. It is a good way for Jessica's legacy to be [00:33:00] honored. It's nice that her favorite place to play. One of her favorite places is going to uphold her legacy
[00:33:06] so much changed in terms of people's safety what they allowed their kids to do, walking to school and such. I can't imagine being a parent in the community after this point or being in school at that school. His classmates also at Arapaho community college. I can't imagine that they didn't know this guy was a fucking creep.
[00:33:29] Fernando: [00:33:29] I'm sure they knew he was a creep, but you know, every school has their creep, at least in high school. I feel like you don't really think about it. You're like, whatever,
[00:33:37] I guess when you're an adult, then it becomes a little bit like this could be a cause for concern.
[00:33:42]Mary: [00:33:42] You don't have as much frame of reference of , Oh wait, this is actually alarming. And not just someone's quirky, weird thing.
[00:33:49]Fernando: [00:33:49] Right.
[00:33:49] Mary: [00:33:49] I went to college with someone who had auditory and visual hallucinations. And a few of my friends had like messed with this kid in a [00:34:00] really not cool way. And I remember him getting really, really drunk and telling me all of this stuff about his hallucinations and these violent actions that he had taken in the past. And it scared the shit out of me, enough that I went and reported it to the school. I remember being very afraid. It was right after Virginia tech had happened. Maybe a week after. I found it very strange and alarming, I guess that is kind of extreme. And Austin must have been able to somewhat pass for some level of normalcy or behave in a way that wasn't alarming to people around him.
[00:34:38] Fernando: [00:34:38] I was going to say he could have just faded into the background too, as the weird kid, sitting in the back of the class..
[00:34:44] Mary: [00:34:44] Right, right.
[00:34:45] Fuck you, Austin Sigg. I hope you're having a terrible time in prison. I hope you never get parole. I've heard quite a bit that inmates who have committed sex crimes against children have a very bad time. And I hope [00:35:00] that's what you're having. I hope you're having a really bad time.
[00:35:02] Yeah. Yes. I have heard the same thing.
[00:35:06] I wish that for him.
[00:35:07] Fernando: [00:35:07] Yeah. I was gonna say, rightfully so!.
[00:35:10]Mary: [00:35:10] The murder of Jessica Ridgeway, fucking awful, and so senseless. So many people impacted also beyond her family, you know, that had a huge impact on the community. And she was well known and loved.
[00:35:23] Fernando: [00:35:23] Yeah, it's tragic. It really is.
[00:35:26] Mary: [00:35:26] Let's talk about our high note to close out the episode. I was trying to think of my song of the week. I think I want to do song of the week and a high note. So my song of the week is this filthy EDM song. I was actually listening to it when you hopped on the zoom. I found it on someone's TikTok someone who's going to come on the pod. It's by Mr. Traumatikand it's called, let's get naughty. I will link it in the episode description for this episode. Filthy. It's so dirty. It's so not safe for work. It's so, so, so, [00:36:00] so dirty. I love it.
[00:36:01] What's your song of the week? Do you have one?
[00:36:03] Fernando: [00:36:03] I do. I have actually been listening to theCast Remix of a little bit of love from the season two finale of UK drag race.
[00:36:18] Mary: [00:36:18] Love it.
[00:36:19]Fernando: [00:36:19] Was so good.
[00:36:21] Mary: [00:36:21] So good. Do you have a high point of the week?
[00:36:25] Fernando: [00:36:25] Yes, I'm on vacation now, so, and I don't go back to work for nine days. Few days vacation.
[00:36:33] Mary: [00:36:33] Yeah, that is nice. Just over a week.
[00:36:36] Mine would be my job search. I had a video interview today for just the first round very basic screener. Hoping that that goes somewhere. All of the people on Patreon, all of the people have bought meRed Bulls. Thank you so much. I'm so excited to be celebrating 5,000 streams. I can't believe it. The podcast is five months old. The first episode went [00:37:00] out about five months ago and I can't wait to see where we are , in five months time. Right now I have the first 50 episodes planned. Very excited to keep bringing more episodes, more content, super excited to bring more episodes to Patreonfor patrons exclusively.
[00:37:17] Thank you so much for tuning in and sharing with friends, everyone that's been supporting and referring people to come check it out. I appreciate you so much. And thank you so much Fern for coming back on and always being willing to record with me at literally the drop of a hat.
[00:37:33] Of course. Thank you for having me again.
[00:37:35] So glad to have you back, and I'm sure it won't be too long before we have you back again.
[00:37:40] Thanks everyone for tuning in and we'll catch you next week.