WESTMINSTER, Colo. — Police confirmed to FOX31 in Denver the DNA connection between the Jessica Ridgeway murder and an attempted abduction of a woman at Ketner Lake in Westminster, Colorado several months ago.
FOX31 Denver first reported exclusive new details about the Ridgeway murder investigation showing investigators are making progress in finding her killer. Though initially police declined to comment on the story, after the story aired, police confirmed many of the details aired by FOX31 Denver.
In the days after she vanished, investigators asked the public to stop looking at what the 10-year-old girl was wearing when she vanished, and pay more particular attention to her facial features.
Sources say the reason police asked the public to change their focus is because when they found Ridgeway’s book bag after her disappearance, many of her clothes were inside.
The book bag and Ridgeway’s remains are the two connections police may have to a possible suspect.
Two separate sources familiar with the investigation told FOX 31 Denver’s Justin Joseph, during the investigation into those two items, they recovered a man’s DNA. Sources say investigators matched that DNA to the DNA police recovered during an attempted attack on an adult female earlier this year.
Monday, in response to FOX31 Denver’s report, police confirmed a “definitive” link to an attack on a jogger at Ketner Lake at the end of May. Police declined to say whether that link was DNA to protect the integrity of the investigation.
The victim in the Ketner Lake incident provided a description of her attacker:
— White male
— 18-30 years old
— 5’6″-5’8″ tall
— Average build
— Brown hair
The link suggests the killer’s behavior may be escalating targeting both women and children.
The DNA link also explains why police have gone door-to-door in Jessica’s neighborhood collecting DNA samples.
Click here for FOX31’s exclusive report on the Jessica Ridgeway investigation, including the hours they spent watching surveillance video, hoping to spot a suspect.
If you have any information regarding the investigation, Westminster police are asking you to call the tip line at 303-658-4336, or email PDamberalert@cityofwestminster.us.
