Gary Leon Ridgway

Serial Killer

Gary Leon Ridgway: The Green River Killer

Overview

Gary Leon Ridgway, born on February 18, 1949, is an American serial killer known as the Green River Killer. He was convicted of murdering 49 girls and women, primarily in King County, Washington. Ridgway confessed to many additional killings and claimed that he had murdered so frequently that he could no longer remember every victim. Although investigators confirmed 49 murders, Ridgway indicated that the true number may have exceeded 70. Most of the known killings occurred during the early 1980s, particularly between 1982 and 1984. Ridgway deliberately targeted girls and young women whose disappearances he believed might receive limited attention, including teenagers who had run away from home, women experiencing homelessness, and women involved in prostitution. Some victims were only 14, 15, or 16 years old. Because many victims were not found until weeks, months, or years after they disappeared, their exact dates of death could not be medically established. In those cases, the dates listed below are carefully identified as the dates they disappeared, were last seen, or were found rather than being presented as confirmed dates of death.

Selection and Murder of Victims

Ridgway frequently searched for victims along Pacific Highway South, also known as the Sea-Tac Strip, south of Seattle. The roadway contained motels, bars and areas associated with street prostitution. Ridgway approached women in ordinary vehicles and attempted to appear harmless. He sometimes showed them a photograph of his young son or spoke about his employment and family life to make himself appear trustworthy. After persuading a victim to enter his vehicle, Ridgway drove her to his house, his truck, a wooded location or another isolated area. He generally murdered his victims by strangulation, using his hands, his forearm or a ligature. He later said that he preferred strangulation because it was quiet and did not require him to carry a weapon that could be connected to a crime. Ridgway transported the victims to remote locations throughout King County. Bodies were left in the Green River, near highways, beside steep embankments, around wooded roads, close to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and in isolated areas near Auburn, Kent, Enumclaw, North Bend and other communities. He sometimes placed several victims in the same general location, creating dumping grounds that investigators called clusters. Ridgway admitted returning to some of the locations after leaving the bodies. He also placed misleading objects at certain scenes and occasionally moved remains in an attempt to confuse investigators. These actions, together with decomposition and the remote nature of the disposal sites, made it extremely difficult to determine precisely when and where many victims had been killed. ...

Confirmed Victims: (49)

Wendy Coffield Age: (16), Date of Death: 1982-07-08

Suspected Victims:

Michelle Age: (Unknown), Date of Death: 1980-12

Kristi Vorak Age: (13), Date of Death: 1982-10-31

Linda Jackson Age: (20), Date of Death: 1983-05-05

Patricia Leblanc Age: (15), Date of Death: 1983-08-12

Rose Marie Kurran Age: (16), Date of Death: 1987-08-26

Darci Warde Age: (16), Date of Death: 1990-04-24

Deborah Wims Age: (31), Date of Death: 1990-10-25

Cora McGuirk Age: (22), Date of Death: 1991-07-12

Gary Ridgway - Wikipedia