In Remembrance Of Jessica Ridgeway

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WESTMINSTER, Colo. — Describing her as a 10-year-old who “can’t wait to be a teenager,” Sarah Ridgeway talked about her daughter Jessica Ridgeway — and the last morning she saw her.

Surrounded by members of her extended family and speaking publicly for the first time since Jessica went missing four days earlier, Sarah was mostly composed.

Sarah described the alarm clock Jessica begged her to buy going off at 7:45 a.m. — “she wanted to be able to get up on her own,” Sarah said. The worried mother described seeing her daughter coming down the stars, watching T.V., eating a granola bar, getting dressed, peeling an orange for a snack later that day and walking out the front door.

“It was like any other morning,” Sarah said, breaking down in tears. “I watched her walk out the door. Her friend says she’s walking too. That was the last time I saw her.

“I want her to walk back through that door. I need her to walk back through that door.”

Appearing more consistently broken up than his ex-wife, Jessica’s father Jeremy Bryant was also on hand. He described getting the news in Missouri that investigators had found his daughter’s abandoned backpack and water bottle on Sunday.

It remains the biggest break in the nationwide search for his daughter. But for a father, the phone call caused him to break down.

“It was about time to get off work when I got that phone call,” Bryant said. “I told my boss I had to leave. I couldn’t stay. I’ve been lost ever since.”

All of Jessica’s seven other family members on hand for the recorded statement at the Westminster Police Department were draped in purple, which they say is Jessica’s favorite color. The child’s great aunt Gay Moore described missing a bubbly girl who was excited to take care of her neighbors cats over the weekend before she went missing.

“She’s a giggler,” Moore said of Jessica. “She giggles a lot — that’s all she ever does. She loves to try out jokes on the family, and she’s actually got some pretty good ones.

“Jessica is the light of our life. She’s a special girl.”

The family also described the community from which Jessica was taken. They called it a safe place — one so safe, in fact, that most of the children in the neighborhood made the mile-and-a-half walk to Witt Elementary School together every morning.

“Our neighborhood is safe,” Sarah said. “The kids go down and play at the park all the time. I’ve never seen anybody suspicions. There have never been burglaries.

“All the police activity (stemming from the search for Jessica) is very unusual.”

Sarah described a conversation she had with Jessica about taking a recently-introduced bus service to school this year. Instead, Sarah said, Jessica made a plan with her older cousin Jeremy to walk to school every day.

Saying that her cell phone was downstairs because she has been getting pestering calls from a college to which she has applied, Sarah said she did not immediately receive the notifications from the elementary school that Jessica had not shown up for class.

When she did get the calls, Sarah said she “knew right away that something was wrong.”

“Jessica loves school,” Sarah said. “I checked some of the places I knew she wouldn’t be just to make sure. But I knew if she wasn’t at school, something was wrong.”

The family concluded their 38-minute statement by thanking the hundreds who have showed up and continue to show up — both locally and around the nation — to aid in the search for Jessica. The family also called for that group’s continued help and support.

Sarah described being overwhelmed by the group of volunteers who were bused in to the search area near her Westminster home, saying a nearby parking lot was filled with more cars than it had been for the popular Rocky Mountain Air Show earlier in the year.

“That’s not something I would have every expected,” Sarah said. “I want to thank everyone who helped look for her and is still looking for her.”

If you have any information regarding the investigation, Westminster police are asking you to call the tip line at 303-658-4336, or email [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]. You can also find more information on a Facebook page that has been set up by Ridgeway’s family.

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It's the saddest thing.

 

$50,000 donation boosts Jessica Ridgeway Memorial Park fund; $353,000 total raised so far
Grant brings park project closer to $450,000 goal

The Colorado Garden Show donated $50,000 to the construction of the Jessica Ridgeway Memorial Park on Thursday, boosting funds to a total of $353,000.
The Westminster Legacy Foundation plans to raise a total of $450,000 through donations for the project. The donations will fund improvements at Jessica Ridgeway Memorial Park, formerly Chelsea Park. The park honors Jessica Ridgeway, the 10-year-old Westminster resident who was abducted and murdered in October. 
“We’re delighted to have this major donation from the Colorado Garden Show, and it moves us much closer to our final goal,” said Westminster Mayor Nancy McNally in a quote provided by the city. “It’s fitting that their organization, which gives horticulture-focused grants to so many organizations, will help us build Jessica’s park.”
In addition to the grant, the Colorado Garden Show will also provide booth space at the 54th Colorado Garden & Home Show, Feb. 9-17, at the Colorado Convention Center. The booth will accept donations throughout the show to help the meet the fundraising goal.
“This grant certainly aligns with our mission to fund horticulture-related projects, but beyond that, the park will be an incredible place for Jessica’s friends and the community to play and remember the incredible girl she was,” said Jim Fricke, executive director of the Colorado Garden Show.
Current designs for the new park include a zip line track ride, raised flower beds inscribed with knock-knock jokes and ribbon-themed benches and swings. The park’s theme is inspired by some of Jessica’s favorite things, including cheerleading, flowers and the color purple.
Ridgeway was abducted as she walked to meet her friends at Chelsea Park on her way to school. Jessica never arrived at the park, and her remains were found five days later.
Austin Reed Sigg was arrested and charged with Jessica's murder on Oct. 24.
Learn more about Jessica Ridgeway Memorial Park and how to donate on the Legacy Foundation's website.

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04/16/2013



WESTMINSTER, Colo. - Work is under way to rebuild a Westminster Park in memory Jessica Ridgeway, the 10-year-old who was murdered in October.
Crews started Tuesday by taking apart the existing playground equipment at the park at 10765 Moore Street in Westminster, formerly known as Chelsea Park. The equipment will be donated to children overseas.
Ridgeway disappeared on Oct. 5 as she was walking to meet up with friends at Chelsea Park so they could all walk to school together. The park is located just a few blocks from Ridgeway's home.
Jessica never got to the park, and her remains were found in an Arvada open space park five days later.
A makeshift memorial grew at Chelsea park during the search for Ridgeway, and the Westminster City Council voted to change the name in November.

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Jessica Ridgeway Memorial Park designs unveiled; It includes lots of purple and ribbons
05/13/2013
The playground equipment at Jessica Ridgeway Memorial Park will reflect the 10-year-old's love of ribbons and the color purple.
The park on Moore Street in Westminster was formerly known as Chelsea Park. It was renamed after it became the site of a makeshift memorial during the search for Ridgeway.
The 10-year-old was abducted and killed in October. The park is located just a few blocks from Ridgeway's home and it was where she was headed when she was abducted.
The new playground equipment will have purple ribbons in the designs.
The swing set will be entirely purple and the structure will be in the shape of two ribbons.  Another piece of playground equipment similar to a zipline will also feature purple and green ribbons on top.
“Our parks' designers have worked closely with major national playground suppliers to develop these unique designs that fit with the shared vision of the family and community,” said Don Tripp, director of Westminster Parks, Recreation and Libraries..“We’re excited about bringing something not seen anywhere else in the country to Jessica’s park.”
The budget for the park's redesign is $538,000. The park committee has raised more than $500,000 in financial and in-kind donation.
“We’re honored and excited about the community support we’ve received so far,” Tripp said.  “Our success means we think we can raise enough to make this the kind of project that our community wants to see.”
For more information on the park, visit the Westminster Legacy Foundation website: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]



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