'He wanted to be a mortician': Friends describe chilling CSI student, 17, arrested for murdering and dismembering Jessica Ridgeway



Austin Reed Sigg, 17, was arrested late Tuesday night at his home near Ketner Lake Open Space after his mother tipped off police

Charged with two counts of murder in the first degree and second-degree kidnapping

He will also face charges for the attempted abduction of a jogger in May

Alleged killer came second in a university Crime Scene Investigation competition in March



Jessica's body was found six days after the 10-year-old went missing during her walk to school on October 5



A 17-year-old boy has been arrested in connection with the brutal murder of Colorado schoolgirl Jessica Ridgeway.

Austin Reed Sigg was arrested late Tuesday night at his home near Ketner Lake Open Space after his mother tipped off police.



Sigg will be charged with two counts of murder in the first degree and second-degree kidnapping as well as two counts of criminal attempts.



The accused killer enjoyed forensic science and won second place in a Crime Scene Investigation competition. Some friends told the media that Sigg expressed interest in becoming a mortician.

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Alleged killer: Austin Reed Sigg, 17, was arrested late Tuesday night after Westminster police received a tip that led them to a home near Ketner Lake Open Space

He will also face charges for the attempted abduction of a female jogger near Ketner Lake on May 28.



Police documents state that the teen is a student at Arapahoe Community College.



On March 23, he won second place in the Crime Scene Investigation division of the Health Occupation Students of America State Leadership Conference competition, according to The Denver Post .

'He was very quiet, shy and to himself. I would say he was gothic,' Brooke Olds, who has known Sigg for about nine years, told The Denver Channel .



'He never really talked about his family or his friends. Like, all he talked about was playing or spending time with us. He always wanted, just, to play capture the flag.'



The teen was arrested at his home at around 7.45pm on Tuesday and Jessica's parents were notified by Westminster police this morning.



'This morning the Ridgeway family was notified of this arrest,' Westminster Police Chief Lee Birk said in a lunchtime press conference.



From missing to murdered: The Colorado schoolgirl's gruesomely dismembered body was discovered in a park 10 miles from her home on October 11, six days after she vanished on her way to school



'We hope and pray this arrest gives them some measure of closure in dealing with their horrible loss and tragedy.'

The boy's mother said she called police but Sigg handed himself over to officers. A woman identifying herself as his aunt said his mother alerted authorities after the Sigg came to her with some 'disturbing information.'



'I made the phone call, he turned himself in. That's all I have to say,' his mother, Mindy Sigg, told The Associated Press over the phone, before she broke down in tears and hung up.

A police report said Sigg was 'cooperative' when police arrived at his house and was taken to Westminster police department in handcuffs. He was later taken to Mountain View Detention Facility.

Authorities said they could not release much information because Sigg is a juvenile and the affidavits in the case have been sealed under court order.

Police were today blocking access to Sigg's home, which his just 1.4 miles from Jessica's, and a search warrant had been served on the property, according to The Post.

Investigators were also digging through the contents of a dumpster across the street from the Sigg residence and police towed away a bronze Jeep that belonged to the suspect .

Hard-work: Westminster Police Chief Lee Birk, pictured during a press conference on Wednesday, praised his team and the community for their help in the case

Crowd: Members of the tight-knit Westminster community gathered to listen to the police announcement

Jessica's great-grandmother said she was thrilled police had made an arrest.

'Grateful to God that the community pulled together and the police department didn’t quit,' said Donna Moss told The Denver Channel.

The teen will make his first court appearance at 8am tomorrow in Jefferson County.

'We worked on this case nonstop, around the clock, since October 5, the day of her abduction,' Birk said. 'I believe we've made a significant step towards justice for Jessica.

'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.'

Police revealed earlier this week the suspect in the attempted abduction was thought to be the same man who kidnapped and murdered Jessica on October 5.

They have not revealed why they think the two cases are linked.

The Colorado schoolgirl's dismembered body was found six days after she vanished on her way to school.

In the abduction attempt, an unidentified young woman was jogging around a lake about a half-mile from the Ridgeway home when she was grabbed from behind by a man.

Evidence: Police towed away Austin Sigg's car, pictured

The attacker tried to cover her mouth with a chemical-soaked rag but she was able to escape.

According to The Post, the woman described her attacker as a light-skinned Caucasian male between 18 and 30 years of age, 5 feet 6 to 5 feet 8 inches tall with a medium build and brown hair.

The link between the two cases was confirmed just days after police found a tuft of blonde hair a mile away from where 10-year-old Jessica Ridgeway's body was discovered.

After police were alerted to the scene, a grid search was conducted while the hair was taken into evidence.

But Westminster police investigating the murder initially dismissed claims that the hair was a definite clue in the case.

A spokesman told the Denver Post last week that there was nothing to suggest the hair has anything to do with Jessica or was even human.



Another recent clue in the tragic investigation was a wooden cross which police believe belonged to Jessica's killer, describing it as a 'pivotal piece of evidence' in the case.

Pictures of the cross, which is 1.5 inches tall by 1 inch wide cross and has a hole at the top so it can be worn as a necklace, were released by Westminster Police Department on Friday.

Hope gone: After the grisly discovery of Jessica's body on October 11, the search for Jessica turned into a hunt for her killer

Recent clue: Pictures of the cross, which is 1.5 inch tall by 1 inch wide with a hole at the top so it can be worn as a necklace, were released by Westminster Police Department on Friday



'Authorities are looking for someone who may carry or wear this type of cross, may have recently purchased one of these, or is known to have some association with one,' Westminster Police Department Mr Trevor Materasso said in a statement at the time.

Police were also looking for local businesses that may sell these types of crosses.

The solid wood pendant has three vertical markings etched into the horizontal bar of the cross and a zig-zag pattern carved into the opposite side.

Mr Materasso added that the item 'could become a pivotal piece of evidence that helps authorities identify and locate Jessica's killer.'

Jessica was last seen beginning a short walk from her home to Witt Elementary School on the morning of October 5. She never arrived.

A search by hundreds of law officers did not start until hours later because Jessica's mother works nights and slept through a call from school officials saying Jessica wasn't there.

Then, on October 7, Jessica's backpack was found on a sidewalk in Superior, some 6 miles northwest of her Westminster home.

Life cut short: Jessica's body was so dismembered that police had trouble identifying the body

Heartbroken: Jessica's dad, Jeremiah Bryant, pictured, breaks down during a press conference, as Jessica's mother describes their little girl

Family in mourning: Jessica's father, Jeremiah Bryant (left) and mother, Sarah Ridgeway, (second right) were initially investigated by police but have since been cleared of any involvement

At about 5pm on Wednesday October 10, dozens of officers flooded into Pattridge Park in Arvada, combing the foot of a hill, walking no more than five feet apart, reportedly working on a credible tip.

The focus of their search was an abandoned cabin that appeared to have been part of a former mining operation. The area is now a popular park where neighbours often come to hike, ride bicycles and fly model airplanes.

Police said they did not suspect Jessica's parents, who are divorced and fighting a custody battle over her, had any involvement in the disappearance.

The U.S. Marshals Service, immigration officials and state Department of Corrections have been reviewing registered sex offenders in the area.

During the heartbreaking investigation, authorities have received more than 1,500 tips from the public, searched more than 500 homes and gone through over 1,000 vehicles hunting for clues.

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