On the fifth anniversary of an unsolved Ballston homicide, police are renewing requests for tips as the victim’s family continues to offer a $50,000 reward.
Today (Friday) marks five years since police were dispatched to an apartment building on the 800 block of N. Randolph Street in early 2020. They found 24-year-old Scott Ratigan inside his bedroom, “suffering from trauma to the upper body.”
Medics pronounced him deceased at the scene and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled the death a homicide.
Evidence indicated that the killer had attempted to clean the scene before fleeing the residence, the Arlington County Police Department said. The 911 caller reported a strong smell of bleach in the apartment, according to scanner traffic at the time.
Surveillance video captured a person of interest described as a white male, between 5’6″ and 5’8″ tall, weighing 150 to 175 pounds, dressed in all black and carrying a black backpack. The suspect had his face covered as he walked down Ballston’s sidewalks, a few weeks before the Covid pandemic prompted widespread use of masks.
He is described as walking with a “pigeon-toed gait” with his feet turned inward.
Online communities devoted to the case have formed in the years since the homicide, with some citizen sleuths going so far as to produce detailed recaps. A lack of substantial updates led to calls for more information around this time last year.
To date, authorities have not been successful in identifying the suspect, and detectives urge anyone with additional information to contact police.
“The passage of time does not diminish the need for answers and accountability in this senseless act of violence that took Scott’s life,” ACPD said in a press release today. “Detectives continue to follow-up on all investigative leads in this case and remind the public that any information, regardless of how small it may seem, could be the tip that leads to justice on behalf of Scott and the Ratigan family.”
The complete press release is below.
The Arlington County Police Department is renewing requests for community assistance on the fifth anniversary of Scott Ratigan’s homicide inside his Ballston apartment. The Ratigan family continues to offer a reward of $50,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction of the suspect(s) responsible for Scott’s homicide.
At approximately 5:29 p.m. on January 17, 2020, police were dispatched to the 800 block of N. Randolph Street for the report of cardiac arrest. Upon arrival, it was determined a concerned relative entered the victim’s bedroom after it was determined he had not been recently heard from. The victim, 24-year-old Scott Ratigan, was located inside his bedroom suffering from trauma to the upper body and was pronounced deceased on scene by medics. An autopsy by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled his death a homicide. Evidence recovered at the scene indicates the suspect(s) attempted to clean the crime scene prior to fleeing the residence.
On the one-year anniversary of Scott’s homicide, detectives released surveillance video recovered from an exterior camera which shows a person of interest leaving the area around the suspected time of the homicide. The individual is described as a white male, approximately 5’6″ — 5’8″ tall, weighing 150 — 175 lbs, dressed in all black, carrying a black backpack and walking with his feet turned inward, often referred to as a pigeon-toed gait. To date, efforts to identify the person of interest have been unsuccessful and detectives ask anyone with information on his identity to contact police.
WATCH: Person of interest captured on surveillance video
The passage of time does not diminish the need for answers and accountability in this senseless act of violence that took Scott’s life. Detectives continue to follow-up on all investigative leads in this case and remind the public that any information, regardless of how small it may seem, could be the tip that leads to justice on behalf of Scott and the Ratigan family.
Anyone with information related to this incident is asked to contact the Arlington County Police Department’s Homicide/Robbery Unit at 703-228-4180 or [email protected]. Information may also be reported anonymously through the Arlington County Crime Solvers hotline at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).
Photo 6 via Google Maps
