(Courtesy: KDVR / Westminster Police Dept.)
By David Mitchell, KDVR
WESTMINSTER, Colo. (KDVR) — Police announced Wednesday night a body was found in an open space in Arvada.
Police spokesman Trevor Materasso made the announcement at a 7:30 p.m. news briefing. He said investigators could not confirm if the body was Jessica Ridgeway.
“At this time we’re unable to make any connection to the disappearance of Jessica Ridgeway,” Materasso says.
The FBI and police had been combing Pattridge Park Open Space late Wednesday afternoon when the discovery was made near what’s described as an abandoned mining shack.
Police from Westminster and Arvada along with additional agencies secured the crime scene and said they would be working through the night into Thursday at that location. The scene was very active late Wednesday night.
Materasso did not answer questions from reporters. He said more information would be released at a news conference scheduled for 6:30 a.m. Thursday.
The park is near W. 80th Ave. and Sheridan Blvd. It’s about four-and-a-half miles from Jessica’s home at 107th Ave. and Moore St. in Westminster.
She was last seen leaving home for school Friday at about 8:30 a.m. She never made it to school.
Earlier in the day, Westminster police called a news conference to announce that Jessica’s parents had been cleared in the 10-year-old’s disappearance and investigators were turning their focus to an ‘unknown suspect.’
They also called Jessica’s disappearance an ‘abduction.’
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. You can also find more information on a Facebook page that has been set up by Ridgeway’s family.
