JUSTICE FOR JESSICA
ten-year-old Jessica Ridgeway
was abducted on her way to school,
killed, dismembered, and dumped
Mental health
experts estimate that approximately one per hundred individuals worldwide are
psychopathic. One percent doesn’t seem that big a deal in the scheme of things, of
course, but it’s still not a number to scoff at since these individuals manage
to perpetrate a whopping 30% of all violent crimes committed annually and
constitute more than 25% of the prison population.
Predominately
male, psychopaths come from every walk of life--every ethnic, every race, every
nationality--and their inherited tendencies toward remorselessness and a lack
of empathy makes them toxic people to know, whether or not they ever engage in
acts of violence.
Thankfully, statistics
show that most psychopaths are not usually dangerous individuals. These more
benign types exist day to day in a “sub-criminal” state of mind, infecting and
disaffecting all they meet with their unabashed selfishness, their compulsive
lying and boasting, and their guiltless pursuit of pleasure and gain at other
people’s expense. In short, though this aberrant majority may stop shy of actually
plotting and executing criminal offenses, they still live at all times on the
very edge of civility.
When a psychopath
does fall over that precipice, however, when his motives and impulses become
uncontrollable and reach far beyond the bounds of civilization, he becomes a
serious threat to society.
Life-threatening.
The demented
psycho who, for a thrill kill, abducted and murdered 10-year-old Jessica
Ridgeway this October, and then dumped parts of her mutilated body in garbage bags
a few miles from her Colorado home, is still at large in the area and,
undoubtedly, has killed before and will kill again.
In fact,
investigators have just confirmed that DNA lifted from the victim’s remains and
from various items uncovered at the crime scene directly link this madman to at
least two prior foiled abductions of young women who were jogging in the park
right across from Jessica’s house.
And, to make
matters worse for the terrified community this vivacious schoolgirl once lived
in, profilers suggest that it’s very likely the murderer is not a complete
stranger, but rather someone who resides and/or works in the neighborhood.
That assertion
would be consistent then with national homicide stats which reveal that, in
over 85% of all murders, the victims are somehow acquainted with or even
related to their killers.
The only good
news in this tragic and frightening affair, is that dozens of local, state, and
federal law enforcement agencies are on the Ridgeway case, relentlessly striving
to identify Jessica’s sadistic killer before he can strike again. Police know by
the magnitude of this slaying that he’s on a spree, so time is of the essence
in apprehending him.
With
that aim, they are actively seeking assistance from the public in deciphering
clues recently collected. Of specific interest to them at this time is a small
wooden cross that may have been a pendant to a necklace, and which was
recovered in the open field near where Jessica’s body parts were found. Some
telltale grocer receipts were discovered near that site too, evidence which has
additionally helped to narrow the focus of the search for a perpetrator.
As well, officials
are also asking neighbors to maintain a state of vigilance now and to report any
suspicious behavior of colleagues, coworkers, family members, or friends, particularly
on the morning of Jessica’s abduction and during the days immediately following
it. They say conduct that ought to send up red flags would be any or all of the
following:
1. A person suddenly missing work or appointments,
with or without a plausible excuse;
2. Making dramatic changes in their personal
appearance;
3. Making alterations to their vehicle;
4. Escalating the use of alcohol or other
substances;
5. Packing up and leaving town without notice;
6. Having an obsessive interest in media coverage
of the case, possibly coupled with an extreme unwillingness to discuss the
murder whenever the subject is raised.
Additional details
concerning a potential suspect profile have also been furnished in the past few
days. Investigators believe that the individual in question is a short Caucasian male
between 18 and 40 years of age, and so profoundly disturbed that his psychological
issues would be hard to disguise, in general, and well known to those who see
him on a regular basis. There is also a good chance that the man is
unattractive and unkempt, expert profilers say, two physical characteristics allegedly
quite common to this class of serial offender.
Police affirmed just
yesterday that Jessica’s schoolbag, located in an adjacent city almost a week after
the child’s disappearance, contained her clothes, and was planted there by the
killer both as a taunt and as a decoy intended to lead them away from his
trail. This further underscores their working theory that the perp is a
resident of Jessica Ridgeway’s hometown and may even live within walking
distance from her home.
With Halloween
looming at month’s end, and the prospect of children en masse trick-or-treating
in a municipality where a vicious and opportunistic murderer is on the loose
searching for easy prey, there is a growing sense of urgency by law enforcement
personnel to solve the Ridgeway abduction and slaying as quickly as possible.
They have been following through on literally thousands of leads in the case and
are asking for more public help of this nature.
Jessica’s killer originally
tried to abduct grown females for his victims, but, when those attempts proved
unsuccessful, he switched to younger targets. This is a grim reminder that, as
adults become increasingly more prudent and cautious in order to avoid becoming
victims of crime, children are made all the more vulnerable to those whose
deviance knows no limits and whose bloodlust can never be quenched.
But, despite
Hollywood’s penchant for portraying these ruthless predators as omnipotent,
they are not brilliant and invincible. The murderer of young Jessica Ridgeway may
delude himself into thinking he’s as evil a genius as the fictitious Hannible “the
cannibal” Lecter, but he is terribly mistaken in that belief, and has made some
serious mistakes along the way, too. Yes, apparently his DNA does not match any
currently on file in the nation’s sex-offender databases, but that’s not a real
obstacle to catching him. Rest assured, this sick creep can and will be brought
to justice soon.
