The murder of Jessica Ridgeway understandably alerted parents to the dangers their children face while out of their lines of sight. Those fears still haven't subsided with the arrest of 17-year-old Austin Sigg. Did the 10-year-old Westminster girl's killer ruin the innocent fun of Halloween for this region, or will the public eventually bounce back?
Before Austin Sigg was arrested, public fear for the community's children as Halloween loomed near put parents in a state of stress. That stress has only been slightly eased with the arrest of Sigg. What may have once been innocence and comfort in their area has been replaced with concern and perhaps even paranoia.
It seems that nobody is looking at things the same as they once were. You can't just let your kids walk out and about anymore for fear of abductions and crimes similar to what happened to 10-year-old Jessica Ridgeway. In light of the child's murder a man in Boulder has set up a sort of "pumpkin patrol," to help alleviate those tense feelings on Halloween. Other communities have hopefully worked out similar safe activities for the upcoming night of trick-or-treating.
Don't let a situation like what happened in Westminster ruin the holiday. Just focus, stay alert and stay safe!
Photo: Huffington Post
Crime analyst & profiler Chelsea Hoffman can be found on Huffington Post or Chelsea Hoffman: Case to Case. You can follow her on Twitter @TheRealChelseaH or contact her via her personal blog. Fan the Facebook page for updates on missing persons cases, issues in civil rights and details on Chelsea's fiction works.
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