Austin Reed Sigg, who was arrested yesterday on suspicion of murdering 10-year-old Jessica Ridgeway, has confessed to the abduction and killing, prosecutors said today. The Colorado 17-year-old also confessed to an assault on a 22-year-old female runner in May. Sigg made his first court appearance today. Authorities say they have "overwhelming" DNA evidence against him.
Acquaintances have said Sigg was quiet, sometimes bullied, often wore black, and hung out in his high school cafeteria's "goth corner." Former high school classmates painted a picture of Sigg as an intelligent teen who complained about school but who would stay late sometimes to work on computers. He left after 11th grade for unknown reasons and later earned a GED; he is currently enrolled at a local community college, where he may have been studying mortuary science and forensics. (More Austin Reed Sigg stories.)