Story: Catching the Killer

Almost 20 years passed since the discovery of Opal Mill’s body in the Green River in Seattle, Washington. But Detective Reichert refused to give up. In April of 2001, he reopened the case and reviewed the murder files. A new task force was formed, including new DNA and forensic experts. The new force quickly grew to a 30 man team. Since DNA evidence collected was 20 years old, Reichert decided that it was too fragile to test, preferring to wait until a more advanced, dependable method of testing came along. The first samples to be sent were samples taken from Mills, Chapman, and Christensen. These were supposedly semen left from the killer. These were compared to a saliva sample taken from Ridgway in 1987, after he was arrested for soliciting an undercover cop. On September 10, 2001, Reichert received the DNA results that reduced him to tears; the samples were a match to none other than Gary Ridgway. (Green River Killer: River of Death) Ridgway was intercepted and arrested on November 30^th on four counts of murder. The search to find the evidence needed to keep him behind bars was reinvigorated; the police had their killer and they were determined to keep him. According to Ridgway’s past, he was no stranger to violent actions. He was originally born in Salt Lake City, Utah and was prone to violent behavior. When he was 16, he attacked and stabbed a neighborhood boy. According to Time Magazine’s Terry McCarthy’s interview with past wives, Ridgway had an unusual sexual appetite. His three ex-wives and old girlfriends all claimed that he was sexually insatiable. (Green River Killer: River of Death) He also has an obsession with prostitutes. He is known to complain about their choice of work but has been seen accepting their ‘favors’ numerous times. At the time of his arrest, Ridgway worked part time as a truck painter. He owned several vehicles, one being a 1977 Ford F-150 that was retained by police. Evidence was gathered continually linking him to the murders until his trial in 2003, where Ridgway pled guilty to the murders of over 60 victims. (Green River Running Red(Audio))