Ridgeway death suspect held without bond

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GOLDEN, Colo., Oct. 25 (UPI) -- The suspect in the slaying of Jessica Ridgeway, Austin Sigg, 17, was ordered held without bond during a court hearing in Golden, Colo., Thursday.

Jefferson County, Colo., District Attorney Scott Storey said Sigg would be tried as an adult in the kidnapping and slaying of Jessica, who was 10 when she disappeared Oct. 5 after leaving her Westminster home for school. He said Sigg had confessed and that DNA evidence connected him to the crime, The Denver Post reported.

Prosecutors did not release details about evidence in the case. Documents have been sealed and Sigg's lawyers requested a gag order.

Sigg was advised Thursday he is being held on suspicion of first-degree murder, felony murder and kidnapping, as well as suspicion of criminal attempt to kidnap and murder in a separate attack on a 22-year-old jogger in May at Ketner Lake, a park-like open space in the city of Westminster.

Due to precedents in previous U.S. Supreme Court rulings, Sigg would not be eligible for the death penalty or a mandatory life term without parole if convicted, Storey said.

Police arrested Sigg Tuesday at his home, about 1 1/2 miles from the Ridgeway home, after his mother called authorities, the Post reported.

Classmates of Sigg said he majored in mortuary science at Arapahoe Community College and was interested in forensic science.

"He said he was intrigued by dead bodies," said classmate Jacqueline Miller. "There was something creepy about him."

Jessica's body was found dismembered in a bag at a park in Arvada, several miles from her home, five days after she disappeared.