What Happened To The Bodies Of The Victims From The Ruby Ridge Standoff?

Nowadays, Ruby Ridge tends to get framed as one tentpole moment in a series of antigovernment conflagrations that swelled from the 1990s all the way to the present. Along with 1993's disastrous Branch Davidian standoff in Waco, Texas, Timothy McVeigh's 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, The Conversation says that 1992's Ruby Ridge siege "provided the emerging radical right with a pantheon of martyrs that a then-nascent modern militia movement could claim as its own." But to those present it was just a hopelessly bungled U.S. Marshal and FBI operation.

It all began when Randy Weaver — the man at the center of events — refused to show up for his 1991 illegal firearms-selling trial, and the U.S. Marshals Service was sent to bring him in. His dog blew their cover as they crept up to his home, so they shot it. Weaver's 14-year-old son Sammy shot at them, they shot and killed Sammy, and Weaver's friend Kevin Harris shot U.S. Marshal William Degan. From here, a sniper shot at Harris and Weaver and hit his wife Vicki in the face. She was carrying her and her husband's baby daughter. Eleven days later when the siege was over, Vicki's body was collected from the floor, and Weaver walked away with authorities while holding his infant daughter in one arm (seen above).

The Idaho jury only convicted Weaver for failing to appear in court for his original firearms-related charge and acquitted Harris of all charges. The absurd tragedy of errors resulted in nothing more than three deaths. Vicki and Sammy were both cremated, and Degan was buried.  

[Featured image by Jim Botting via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled]

The U.S. Department of Justice's (DOJ) Ruby Ridge Task Force report — dated to June 1994, almost two years after events — says that Vicki Weaver, her son Sammy Weaver, and U.S. Marshal William Degan each received autopsies that included examinations of blood and hair samples. One section of the account says that Sammy was shot twice, once in the arm and once in the back, while another part says that Vicki was standing behind a door when she was shot, and that Kevin Harris shot Degan to protect Sammy.

While details about the autopsies are scarce, we do know that each and every step of the investigation was strangely mishandled to the point of being abjectly negligent — including examinations of the victims' bodies. For example, the UMKC School of Law says that the FBI laboratory that took the blood samples didn't refrigerate them because of "insufficient space," and instead placed them in a "bulky exhibit" where they spoiled. 

Later on, the United States Attorney's Office (USAO) hired three forensic experts — including a "shooting reconstructionist" and wound ballistician — because the FBI were "unwilling or unable" to give feedback on ballistics-related topics. Ultimately, as the DOJ's Ruby Ridge Task Force reports, Judge Edward J. Lodge held the FBI in contempt, saying the bureau's "recalcitrance" demonstrated a "callous disregard for the rights of the defendants and the interests of justice." 

[Featured image by U.S. Marshal Service via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled]

Ultimately, the three victims of the Ruby Ridge standoff found resting places. Find a Grave says that both Vicki Weaver and Sammy Weaver were cremated. We don't know if their ashes were spread, interred at some location, or kept by remaining family members. We also don't know who made the decision to cremate them instead of bury them. However, Vicki's father and mother died later in 2008 and 2013, respectively, so it stands to reason that they were responsible for deciding the final fates of their daughter and grandson. 

As Find a Grave says, William Degan was buried in Blue Hill Cemetery in Braintree, Massachusetts. His U.S. Marshals Service's memorial page talks about his life and family and mentions his sisters Elaine and Sally, his wife Karen, and his two sons. His eldest son, Billy Degan Jr., said that Ruby Ridge "changed the course of history and severely impacted the lives of many people," including his own. Doubtlessly, William's family decided on his final resting place.

Speaking of additional family members, Vicki and Randy's infant daughter — who Vicki held in her arms when she was shot — wasn't their only child. As NPR says, they had two other daughters, including 16-year-old Sara Weaver, who watched her mother get killed. The federal government awarded Randy a $100,000 settlement in 1995, and each daughter $1 million. He died in 2022 at the age of 74. His burial location is unknown.