Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Sarah Ridgeway Statement Analysis

Check back for updates this evening.

Thus far:

Sarah Ridgeway has not issued a reliable denial.  Should she issue one, we will post it.  A parent cannot be cleared without a reliable denial. 

Sarah Ridgeway has, at least twice, shown belief or knowledge that Jessica is dead by referring to Jessica in the past tense.  We do not know what police have told her, nor why she believes this but she did speak of losing hope. 
The FBI has returned to the home and is now searching it. 

With families there are always sensitivity indicators related to the relationships.  Here there are several. Any parnet of a missing child will show guilt and blame himself or herself.  This is natural.  It can be seen as sensitive.  This is why good interviewing asks follow up questions. In any interview, Sarah Ridgeway should have been asked:

1.  Do you know what happened to Jessica?
2.  Did you take a polygraph?

These are common questions that should always be asked.  The interviewer failed to. 


37 comments:

Jeff said...

I haven't been following this particular story, but I did catch part of this interview on TV this morning. While it is unwise to draw a conclusion from only part of an interview, and a TV interview (not official interrogation), at that, I must say Sarah Ridgeway's statements contain deception. The portion I heard was, "And the last thing I remember, I saw her opening the door, and then she was walking out the door." The fact that she was doing her best imitation of Deborah Bradley (face screwed up but with no tears), didn't make her any more convincing. She knows more than she is telling.

Patty Mayonnaise said...

she needs to take a lie detector test. I believe the police knows way more than they are telling. I think they know mom is hinky and knows a lot more than she has told them. This is so sad. I pray Jessica is found soon.

Apple said...

I am less concerned hearing Jessica's Mom state, "she was the light of the house" now that i have viewed the interview as she is entering into the interviewer's language who stated, "it sounds like she was the light of the house."

The other thing that i do not find as concerning is "you lose a little more hope". We have seen similar "you" (distancing) statements in the not guilty who do not want to take ownership. Here, it may be that Sarah does not want to take ownership of "losing hope."

I hope we hear more from Sarah.

Statement Analysis Blog said...

Apple you are on target with both.
1. She entered into the reviewer's language
2. Distancing language may be due to fear

But...

there is something else within the "you lose a little more hope" that should be noted:

Most mothers do not lose hope so quickly. She is describing the first hour of searching and is already losing hope? There is also the placement of these emotions here that bother me: they are in the "perfect" or "logical" part of her statement. Humans take time to process and we find that the emotions come later in a statement; after the searching, for example.

Mom has not cleared herself thus far.

I hope to have a full transcript tonight.

Peter

Pak31 said...

I was just reading another article about the mom and what she said and as soon as I heard her say "it was like any other morning" I stopped reading and came here. I have learned from this site that when people say that, it's not always good. Luckily, you had this story up and partly analyzed. I was thinking she really was abducted but now hearing the mom and more facts I am having my doubts. I particularly find it odd that a mom doesn't have a phone nearby in case of a problem since she sleeps during the day and that she didn't get up until 4:30. She didn't wake up at all during that time? When does her daughter get home from school?

Pak31 said...

I caught that too Jeff. That whole watching her walk statement. A lot of guilty people have made that same statement. She was so attentive watching her come down the stairs that morning, eating her granola bar, walking out the front door. But yet, from that point on until 4:30 she was dead to the world, nothing. That is her alibi,she was asleep. I know kids get taken, but at 8 in the morning and only walking a few blocks alone I wonder what the chances really are. Throw the fact that the parents are in a custody dispute over her and it doesn't sound good.

Apple said...

Peter,
I undertand. Thank you.

Two other points i found concerning/ of note but am unable to identify with SA as to WHY:

Mom wants to "leave no stone unturned so that we can find her". Why does this exact phrase enter her language?

We will love her forever and ever and ever ( or something like that). It sounds more like an eternal love, not something you would say to your missing daughter who may be listening to you- as was the question at hand.

Anonymous said...

Pak31, I also found her not having a phone in her room odd. Even if I needed to get my sleep, I would never be unavailable to take a phone call if my son's school called.
And if I woke at 4:30 to find a call that my son never got to school, I wouldn't go looking for him first. I would call 911 immediately knowing he would not have skipped school. She mentioned her daughter loved school and would never miss, so why would she go looking for her instead of immediately realize something was wrong.

Anonymous said...

Peter, thank you so much for posting this. This has been bothering me since everything started coming out on Saturday. The mother has not be involved in any of the search efforts, and the interview you posted is the first that she's done. What mother wouldn't be out there screaming from the roof tops to get her daughter back??? I also recall her saying something along the lines of "We all know who we are, we're a good family, we know we didn't do anything to cause her disappearance". But she never once denied involvement, just said "we know"....ie. others may not. She also said "No matter what happens we're going to love her forever and ever". Why would she need to say that?

VLW said...

This is the first time I've seen the mother. SA aside, I don't see anguish in her face or hear it in her voice. I admit to being a little leery of making too many conclusions from SA recently, but this woman is amazingly relaxed and calm for someone whose daughter is missing. Contrast her with Desiree Young (Kyron Horman's mom) and the difference is night and day.

VLW said...

My mistake! I was thinking the woman to the right of the mother was the actual mom. I got that wrong. My apologies!

Tania Cadogan said...

I noted the difference in emotions between the mom and the dad.

The dad. red faced, puffy eyes, tears rolled down his face, he looked strained, quiet serious answers.

The mom. no redness to face or eyes, no tears even when she looked to be breaking down, looked fresh, laughed.

The language pf the mom leads me to believe jessica was parentified, doing chores etc even at school.
I have never heard of a child pretending to be a waitress, it would be something they would have to be exposed to. I do know girls will have pretend parties and play moms and dads.

I also have nver heard of a non parentified child rubbing feet, i have seen them rub mom's hands to rub lotion in and having it done in return.
I do know that children who are carers for sick or disabled parents can and do rub their feet to improve circulation or to apply creams etc.
Is this something Jessica did because mom is too fat to do it herself?

The phone seems sensitive, if there was a school emergency how would the school contact her?
She tells us why the phone was downstairs that day, where would it be any other day.

I would be interested to know what the custody situation is regarding who has custody when, visitation rights, when dad was to see or have her next and so on.

Does mom have a new boyfriend?
If yes does he live in the house or stay over?

Is this going to be a case of if i can't have her all to myself, no one can.
Is this a case of someone losing their temper and lashing out?

There are many red flags with the mom's statement.

If she hasn't taken a polygraph i want to know why.
I would ask her
Do you know where Jessica is?
Do you know what happened to Jessica?
Is Jessica alive?
Do you know who took Jessica?
Do you know who killed Jessica?
Did Jessica die at your hands?
Did you tell the truth?

Anonymous said...

I totally agree! The Dad seemed legit. I'm not sure if you can ever actually "run out of tears", but the mother didn't have any.

Lucy said...

When I saw this mom on TV I was reminded strongly of another mom with missing kids.

Susan Smith.

New Vintage Studio said...

It is interesting to note that the Facebook for Jessica has lost many LIKES since her Mother spoke. People are NOT stupid.

Jeffssis said...

Dad was genuine. As he spoke you could see the anguish in his face even before he began to cry. Mom, on the other hand, appeared fake and forced. She sat there like a queen holding court. Off-putting from my point of view. Doesn't seem engaged and doesn't show the deep, deep feelings one has for a loved, young child. Statement Analysis in combination with the above have this case looking like another Bradley, Reynolds, Cummings and Celis.

Too many!!!

Apple said...

I read reports of multiple possible sightings in Maine. If they are not truely sightings of Jessica, how tragic for her family.

Dee said...

Mainers take note...
http://bangordailynews.com/2012/10/10/news/piscataquis/missing-colorado-girl-10-may-have-been-spotted-in-dexter/

Jeffssis said...

I was reading the transcript from Jane Velez Mitchell's show and they were talking about the backpack that's been found. And...it hit me....something that the mother said in her interview. Here it is "I figured you know if something really bad happened to her they wouldn't have gotten rid of the back pack just sitting there. They would have it wouldn't have been in plain sight" It is kind of a weird thing to say when you think about it. Perhaps Mom put the backpack there at some point and now brings out this explanation to persuade people to think that nothing bad happened? I don't know, but what she said could be seen as trying to mislead. Also she uses the pronoun "they". Why not the person, or an even less identifiable description like whoever took her. Just wanted to share and I welcome comments.

Lily said...

@jeffssis! I thought exactly the same thing when she made that statement about the backpack.

I am new to finding this site, so I don't know all the mechanics of SA, but isn't it possible that HOW a person says something change the meaning of WHAT they say? So, just analyzing the words themselves without seeing the person speaking, doesn't that leave a lot out of getting to the truth? Or, maybe you are saying you have to analyze first, then watch them speaking it? Help me understand. Or point me to more info on SA. I guess I could look on wiki, though. ha.

All that aside, I think I'm hooked on this process. It's fascinating.

Jeffssis said...

Oh, and Wendy Murphy pointed out the same sort of thing. She said, "And by the way, I just want to add one quick thing about the location of the backpack. If this were a stranger, this is just common sense for a minute here. If this were a stranger, no way is a guy in a car going to dump a backpack. That`s just too much evidence against him. That`s what makes me suspicious about the story of the possibility of this being a stranger. A stranger is not going to be stupid enough to leave crime evidence like that six miles..."

Jeffssis said...

I think that one supports the other. The words affirm the behavior and visa versa.

Jo said...

"I figured you know if something really bad happened to her they wouldn't have gotten rid of the back pack just sitting there. They would have it wouldn't have been in plain sight"

Would "something really bad happened to her" be embedded language?

Anonymous said...

Peter,
please edit this sentence: It is expected that his 7 Tour De France victories will formerly be erased from the record books.

to: It is expected that his 7 Tour De France victories will formally be erased from the record books.


Anonymous said...

That was supposed to be posted on the Lance Armstrong post comments. I hit the wrong link lol.

Anonymous said...

I don't like this woman. I see a trace of defiance in her face when she said something along the lines of 'I need to be well rested for her when she gets home'. I have no doubt this woman made sure she got her rest, her food (daughter taking waitress orders) and getting her feet rubbed by her indentured servant of a child. I don't see any tears, I see no grief or desperation to find her little girl. That love her for ever and ever and ever is next life nonsense. I don't believe her daughter disappeared. I believe she knows exactly where her child is.

Anonymous said...

Back in 1999?/Early 2000? Cary Stayner kidnapped and killed a mother (Carole Sund), her daughter(Julie Sund), and an exchange student (Sylvia Peloso) in California. Sund/Peloso (I might have the 2nd last name spelled incorrectly).

He threw the wallet in the middle of a busy intersection in Modesto. Why wouldn't someone who kidnapped a little girl just toss her backpack out where it would be found? Cary did all of his dirty work near Yosemite for Carole and Sylvia, and near Don Pedro Reservoir for Julie's murder, so to throw off the searches I guess he figured Modesto would be a good spot to dispose of it.

Theresa said...

Yes, I agree with you, when you say that you find it odd that she doesn't have a phone nearby in case of a problem. When she's at preschool 3 days a week, 4 hours, my ringer is up as loud as it'll go. My daughter is at her dads some weekends and my ringer is UP as loud as it'll go. This is even the case when I've been terribly sick and unable to sleep because of it. My need for sleep is NOTHING in comparison for someone to be able to get ahold of me in case of an emergency. I don't care if I get woken up repeatedly by nonsense calls or people texting me. All that matters is I am reachable for HER. I know she's safe, but if she needs me to comfort her for any reason, I want to be available! When she's at preschool 3 days a week, 4 hours, my ringer is up as loud as it'll go.

I think the thing about these hinky parents in missing child cases is that she'd USUALLY have her phone with her, but the one day that was the last time she ever saw her daughter again... she didn't? The one day her daughter went missing. It just makes me give the side eye.

Anonymous Fan said...

I visit this blog all the time. I am not sure where I stand on statement analysis because I have traveled all over the country and know people speak English very differently in various areas. Throw in education level and whether the person is foreign or not....you can easily get some wonky English being spoken. The way a redneck from the hills of Alabama speaks will be far different than a well educated high society person living in Manhattan. After reading this blog, I even noticed the way I word some things would come under high scrutiny even while being completely truthful. I had to work hard to get rid of my southern drawl and slang and the way we "were learned" to speak when we moved to the East Coast. Because of this, I don't buy into SA 100%. However, I still read anyways, because I don't disbelieve 100% either :) There is also the factor that we may not know what kind of medications people are on and if they are on anything, their mind, emotions and speech can be all kinds of f*ed up.

Anyways, I wanted to post this link here to find out your thoughts on it. Again, I don't believe or disbelieve what this person's "expert" opinion is....but it is interesting that you can get completely different analysis of one situation from different people.

Body language expert: Jessica Ridgeway’s parents are truthful http://kdvr.com/2012/10/09/body-language-expert-jessica-ridgeways-parents-are-truthful/

Anonymous Fan said...

And with all of that said, I am leaning towards something being very hinky with mom. The excuses for not having a phone near her while her little girl was in school just blows me away. Way too much time and ability for mom to do something and dispose of Jessica.

Statement Analysis Blog said...

Anonymous Fan,

Why bother to speak to anyone or listen to anyone speak?

When someone speaks to you in a store, for example, do you draw an opinion on what they say, without knowing their education, or the medications they are on?

How do you know if someone is truthful or not? Do you just guess? Or, do you just believe them and hope it turns out ok?

We follow a method. It is not wooden, but it is strong.

We realize that people choose words in less than a microsecond and something as rehearsed as a pronoun, for example, having been spoken literally millions of times, is instinctive.

Where communication exists, discernment is needed. Where communication exists, analysis can be done.

It is taught in all major languages around the world, and has been used for thousands of years.

Therefore, when someone says "we", I know that they were not alone.

It is "wicked cold" up here, but since we don't interpret, we don't think an element of evil accompanies the cold. Analysis recognizes dialect and when profiling, can reveal education and background information.

Fasten your seatbelt and begin, on your own, to apply its principles to see if someone accused of something is telling the truth.

If you find that a system, has, for example, a better than 90% success rate, it is one thing.

If you find another system has less than .001% success rate, you have something entirely different.

There is reason for the disparity in numbers.

By the way, can anyone guess the .001% success rate? Hint: it is likely far less than that.

Peter

Statement Analysis Blog said...

PS: The NY Daily News also linked to another expert who said both are truthful.

I like when body language experts give "truthful or deceptive" conclusions rather than just "genuine" because...

I have genuinely wept over fiction!

Peter

Anonymous said...

I don't want to believe this mother had anything to do with her daughter's disappearance, but the lack of tears is disturbing. I lost my cat for a day & was a wreck, searching non stop until it was dark out. She hasn't searched & couldn't make the vigil?!?!

MsCabinFever said...

I saw a news clip yesterday of the mother speaking & I wish I would have written down her exact words. She said that yes, of course she would take a polygraph if that was necessary. (I thought it was odd that 5 (?) days had passed at this point & she still hasn't taken a polygraph?) There was something odd about her wording, or maybe it was her tone that reminded me of Tiffany Hartley. If my daughter was missing, I would demand a polygraph immediately!

Anonymous said...

Anon Fan @ 1:16 p.m., 10/10; I watched the video of the body language expert you posted, (thank you), and while this body language expert attributes Sarah's dropping her eyes when speaking to be honest, I find it to be just the exact opposite.

The eyes are the window to the soul. If a person cannot look you directly in the eyes when they are talking to you or while responding to a question, but instead drops their eyes, I find something very wrong with that!

I ALSO find it amiss that Sarah faked crying with dry eyes. NO TEARS! Good Lord, not only were there no tears while her own daughter is missing, but this woman couldn't even look the analyst directly in the eyes, and this analyist doesn't pick up on THAT? This mother is hiding something she can't answer with a straight face or real tears, whether it be relationship issues or something else. I think statement analysis obviously has her pregged already as being deceitful in just a few words.

How in the world some people declare themselves to be body language experts is a complete mystery to me. I can do a better job than that with no training just by using mere common sense, as I suspect most of us here could too.

Anonymous said...

Peter... I read your analysis regarding psychics, so I am guessing that the .001% success rate is...... PSYCHICS!!!!! voodoo alert, voodoo alert.

Tania Cadogan said...

Reading only the words spoken allows us to remove the emotion from the statement.
Even if we try not to allow it, we are affected by emotion and thus it can affect our analysis.

Seeing only the words spoken without infelction or emotions lets us see clearly what is being said and also what is not being said.

In cases of missing persons, especially a child it can be hard to distance oneself from the speaker, instinct within us wants to make us comfort the distraught, we feel the pain a mother feels when her child is missing, it can lead us to think how we would act, what we would say driven by emotion, we would lean more to interpretating what we think was meant rather than what was actually said.

Body language can be a useful tool especially in such cases and we see how the speaker behaves as well as the words used.
We can see where an expected behavior is missing or an unexpected one is present for example non exisitent tears when the face is all screwed up, the voice is breaking and there are sniffs.

As Peter says and rightly so "The subject is dead, the statement is alive"
It is tempting to say they are overwrought and meant this or that.
Statement analysis looks only at the words used and thus we are guided by the subject alone.