Introduction

On August 15, 1982, the body of a young woman named Opal Mills was found floating down the Green River in Seattle, Washington. Upon finding her, police encountered the body of two more women. Prior to these discoveries, the bodies of three more women were also found, their corpses strangled with the clothes they were wearing. (Green River Killer: River of Death) The Seattle Police Force came to the conclusion that there was indeed a serial killer on the loose. Gathering a large group of elite detectives, forensic scientists, and crime scene investigators, the town put together the Green River Task Force, one of the largest put together since the man-hunt for the notorious killer Ted Bundy. After the initial discoveries, the body count continued to rise; the victims ranging from ages eighteen to thirty. (Green River Killer: River of Death) Endless research and police questioning allowed head chief Richard Kraske to discover that the victims had one thing in common: prostitution. Needing help in understanding a serial killer’s point of view, Kraske enlisted the help of Ted Bundy. Their combined minds brought several suspects into the light, but none were able to be singled out. The string of murders, known now as the Green River Murders, continued to plague the Seattle strip. The search eventually died off after a year of runarounds, but Kraske refused to give up.  Years later as more murders occurred, the task force was able to use updated technology to test evidence. The DNA evidence from the scenes and the bodies allowed police to connect the murders to the murderer. Gary Leon Ridgway was finally convicted. The story, the evidence, and the conviction of Ridgway brought an end to the Green River Murders. After being arrested, Ridgway pleaded guilty to murdering 49 female prostitutes. His plea gave the families the comfort they needed as well as allowed Ridgway to escape the 49 death sentences in exchange for 49 life-without-parole sentences.

Story: The Beginning

 It was on August 15, 1982 when local Seattle man Robert Ainsworth made a discovery that would start off a 20 year killing spree. (Green River Running Red (Audio)) Mr. Ainsworth was taking his usual route along the river when he came upon a bodily figure in the water. Thinking it was a joke, Ainsworth approached the body, where he came upon the dead eyes of a young black woman, floating just beneath the surface of the water. To his horror, Ainsworth, after walking a bit down the river, encountered the body of another partially submerged woman. (Green River Killer: River of Death) After their arrival, police began to sweep the area looking for any other evidence. What they found next would serve as a link to the already growing problem. Police combed the riverbank and came upon the body of another young woman in the nearby brush. It was concluded by Chief Medical Examiner Donald Reay that all three women died of strangulation. These three bodies were not the only to be discovered in the area. A month prior, the body of Wendy Lee Coffield was discovered along the river, cause of death: strangulation. And three days prior to Coffield’s discovery, the body of Opal Mills, the body of Leanne Wilcox was found. Within the span of six months six bodies had been discovered in or near the river. Police quickly concluded that a serial killer was on the loose and that he needed to be found as soon as possible. (Green River Killer: River of Death) A task force that consisted of the police officers, detectives, and investigators dedicated to discovering the killer was assembled and titled the Green River Task Force. (Green River Running Red(Audio))

Story: The Murders

The assembly of the Green River Task Force seemed to set off the Green River killer. The force was the largest assembled since that of the Ted Bundy murders and was led by Detective Dave Reichert. The investigation started off slow because police were bombarded with would-be witnesses. (Green River Killer: River of Death) Lack of technology and means left investigators with no way to test the small DNA samples they found. However, investigators were able to narrow victims down to one category: prostitutes that frequented the Seattle Strip. Police immediately began questioning girls but had little luck because of fear of prosecution. Police did convince two prostitutes, Susan Widmark and Debra Estes to confess that they had been solicited, harassed, raped, and then let go by a man in a blue and white truck. Both women claimed that the man had referred to the killings, asking their opinions on them. That following month, police arrested Charles Clinton Clark. (Green River Killer: River of Death) Clark’s truck was searched, and police encountered two handguns that matched the description given by the women. But during his incarceration, the body of 19 year old Mary Bridgett disappeared, only to be found along the river; she had been strangled to death. Clark was released due to lack of evidence and the task force forced to start their search anew. Between September 1982 and April 1983, 14 girls had disappeared; all being prostitutes that matched the Green River killer’s M.O. (Green River Killer: River of Death) Police were able to narrow down the suspect pool again to suspect Gary Ridgway. But lack of evidence and connection cleared his name almost instantly. By the following spring, the Green River Task Force was falling apart. Prostitutes continued to disappear but no new leads appeared. The toll it took on the officers involved finally became too much and the force dissipated, being handed down to single detective Reichert. (Green River Running Red (Audio))

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))

Story: Reflection

The Green River murders are not all that different from other prolific murders. However, they are an interesting set. Ridgway’s M.O. did not compare to the M.O. of typical sexual predators. Most sexual predators are drawn to their victims based on certain characteristics such as hair color, age, height, ect. Ridgway targeted women that were grouped into a single class; prostitution. He targeted female prostitutes because they are used to being picked up so it wouldn’t have been too suspicious for them to get into a random. This was a smart move on Ridgway’s part. His obsession with them bordered on a love-hate relationship. If he simply hated them, he would have outright killed them instead of getting them comfortable like he later admitted to doing. He instead chose to engage in sexual acts and make them less nervous before actually killing them. This could be because of some psychological disorder that is associated with his insatiable desire. The fact that Ridgway’s conviction took 20 years is unusual but not shocking. Forensic and DNA technology was very unreliable and could have resulted in the loss of valuable evidence. So it was smart of detective Reichert to hold off on testing the evidence.

Evidence: part 1

 In the early 1980’s, DNA testing technology was very underdeveloped. So police had to rely on strong circumstantial evidence and matter-of-fact DNA. Police detectives did not have much to go on other than the numerous bodies they found. And since most of the bodies were found in the river, all possible DNA evidence was washed off or too small a sample to be tested immediately. When the remains of the first six victims were found, police were only able to conclude the method of death. The bruises found around the necks of each victim showed the medical examiners that they were strangled to death. Because there was no way to use skin-graphing to test the victims, police were unable to narrow down any suspects on the basis of solid DNA. Police then moved on to depending upon eye-witness reports as evidence. At first, several reports were filed by anonymous sources claiming that a man in a blue and white truck was seen frequenting the same strip as the victims. When the body of Marie Malvar was found, the police questioned her boyfriend. From him they learned that she had indeed gotten into the same blue and white truck from the reports. He claimed that he followed the suspected vehicle. Police used this to trail down Ridgway, who owned a truck matching the description. However, when given a polygraph test, Ridgway passed claims saying that he had never had any contact with Malvar. (Timeline: DNA Testing Helped Lead Investigators to Green River Killer) A year later, five more sets of remains were found, all of which had enough genetic material to let the police narrow down on Ridgway once again. But lack of evidence set him free. The body count continued to rise and police struggled to find usuable evidence.

Evidence: part 2

After the body of yet another victim was discovered, head detective Reichert decided it was time to use the evidence. Police had been able to use a new DNA processing method to identify her remains, so it was believed that they would also be able to identify the DNA of the killer. But the police had no suspects. Instead, police tested the fibers found on the victim. These fibers turned out to be from the floor mat of a Ford F-150. Ridgway, who had been previously arrested because of his ownership of a similar truck, immediately became a suspect. He was also the last person to be seen with the victims. Police received a search warrant and combed Ridgway’s home. (Timeline: DNA Testing Helped Lead Investigators to Green River Killer) With the search warrant, police took carpet fibers, ropes, and plastic tarps to be used as evidence. (Catching the Green River Killer) However, none of the samples taken matched the samples found on the victim. Ridgway was once again unable to be charged with the murders. Instead, police took saliva samples from Ridgway. These samples were stored along with the semen found on the bodies of Mills and Coffield. Reichert decided to hold them instead of testing them since they were fragile and technology still a bit behind. (Catching the Green River Killer) On November 2, 1999, the remains of Tracy Winston were discovered. Her naked body was found strangled and violated. Police took samples. (Timeline: DNA Testing Helped Lead Investigators to Green River Killer) Detective Reichert decided to run these samples with the old samples using a new DNA analysis technique to see if they corresponded. They were a match. Then using the recently taken samples from Winston, Reichert decided to run them against the saliva samples taken from Ridgway. The DNA samples were a match. The police force that had been working for 20 years finally had enough evidence needed to catch the Green River killer.

Evidence: part 3

DNA evidence that was over decades old is what finally brought an end to the 20 year killing spree known as the Green River murders. However, finding the evidence needed to convict Gary Ridgway was not an easy task for the Green River Task Force. They were given the run around for years. Ridgway planted bogus clues, dumped bodies, and relocated victims in order to throw police off of his trail. (Catching the Green River Killer) The lack of useful technology was also a key factor. When the bodies of victims were discovered, police had no real way of testing the evidence on them. They collected as much evidence as possible though; from fibers and cells found on the victims to countless random reports from anonymous sources, which may or may not have been true. This was the case in one instance. Ridgway called detective Reichert and reported false information. But, police could not prove it right or wrong because the only evidence they could depend upon were the results of a polygraph test, which Ridgway passed. (Timeline: DNA Testing Helped Lead Investigators to Green River Killer) For years they had to collect evidence that was useful but unusable. When the investigation was handed to Reichert, the evidence was stored. It was not to be used until more reliable technology came along. It wasn’t until Rigdway was found soliciting an undercover cop were police able to use the DNA they had. They were able to test decade old semen found of the victims and compare it to saliva taken from Ridgway. The matches were found and the evidence used to convict him.

Evidence: Reflection

The fact that it took 20 years to find enough evidence to convict Ridgway can’t really be blamed on the task force responsible for collecting it. For years, they help the evidence that would have ended the search, if they had only been able to use it. They did what they could with the evidence they could use. It has to be noted that they did narrow in on the real killer twice, even though they were unable to solidify the evidence. Lack of technology prevented them from doing what would condemn Ridgway sooner rather than later. The rising body count provided tons of evidence that couldn’t be used. So it was smart of detective Reichert to preserve what he had to test at a later time. Body evidence is fragile and cannot be recreated, especially if the person it was taken from is dead like the victims were. If the decision to go ahead and send the samples off for testing had went through, it is possible that they would have been destroyed. They could have lost all the evidence they had and been left with only circumstantial evidence, which is not allowed in court solely on its own.

Conviction: Arrest

In March of 2001, DNA samples taken from the victims finally showed a match to Gary Ridgway. Police were finally able to arrest the man known as the Green River killer. Police waited and set a trap, believing he could possibly be linked to two more murders. They set him up under sporadic surveillance. Two months later, Ridgway was once again caught soliciting an undercover cop disguised as a prostitute. This time, police arrested for solicitation and the murder of four victims: Mills, Chapman, Christensen, and Hinds. (Catching the Green River Killer) These charges consisted of four counts of murder in the first degree. He was taken to the King County Jail where he was booked. When questioned, Ridgway claimed that he never had any encounters whatsoever with any of the alleged victims. Police then worked even harder to secure the evidence they needed to keep him there. They were granted search warrants. Police excavated Ridgway’s home and yard. There they came upon several remains scattered in his yard and the surrounding forest area. These remains were identified as those of victims Bonner and Estes, who had previously reported against the murderer. They also discovered paint particles in his truck that matched previous victims. A mattress, as well as an old carpet that were stained with blood was found in an old storage shed. (Catching the Green River Killer) Ridgway was then charged with three more counts of murder in the first degree, giving him a total of seven charges before his trial in 2003. Ridgway was moved from King County Jail to an undisclosed location.

Conviction: Trial

On April 3, 2003, Gary Ridgway pleaded not guilty to seven counts of murder in the first degree. Ridgway continued to claim “not guilty” for the beginning duration of his trial. Three more sets of remains were found, which were also added to his growing set of charges. The state prosecuted Ridgway, seeking the death penalty on all counts of murder. Ridgway and his lawyer were forced to sit there and listen as police revealed piece after incriminating piece of evidence that would help them win the case. But Ridgway continued to plead “not guilty.” After things became apparent that Rigway would not be off, but would indeed receive the death penalty, a deal between the state and the defense was made. Rumors stating that Ridgway had agreed to cooperate in exchange for a lesser sentence surfaced. The remains of yet another victim were uncovered during the time of the trial, which only strengthened these rumors. However, on November 5, 2003, Ridgway, in an attempt to escape the death penalty, pled “guilty” to the murder of 49 local Seattle women. All of which were prostitutes. His plea was taken in exchange for a life without parole sentence, a tactic detective Reichert believed would help the police uncover the remains of the rest of the unidentified victims and bring justice to their families. (Catching the Green River Killer) Ridgway was grilled for hours by four detectives, honoring his requests in exchange for details and locations. Ridgway confessed to scattering children’s toys in his truck in an attempt to gain the trust of the victims as well as using his son to make him appear as more of a ‘family man’.  He also admitted to dumping the bodies in ‘clusters’ so that he could drive past them and having post mortem sex with at least ten of the victims. (Reeling in a Monster) Ridgway was sentenced to life without parole. In the end, he admitted to murdering over 60 women by strangulation. His conviction finally brought and end to the Green River murders.

Conviction: Present Day

During his trial, Ridgway sat stone-faced as the judge read off all 49 counts of murder in the first degree, each of which Ridgway pled “guilty”. The families of the victims were finally given the justice they had waited on for 20 years. He blatantly told police and the judge that killing prostitutes became his ‘career’ and that he had killed so many women it was hard to keep them straight. (Reeling In a Monster) Ridgway had quickly become one of the most profiled serial killers, surpassing the murderer John Wayne Gacy. He escaped the death penalty by agreeing to help police locate the remains of his victims. And that is exactly what he is doing. To the day, Ridgway has helped police find the missing bodies. Other than the ones he was charged with, Ridgway has helped police find the bodies of other, unidentified victims.  However, it wasn’t without issue. Ridgway admitted that every time police discovered a body, it angered him. He felt that ‘each victim was a beautiful person that belonged to him.’ (Reeling In a Monster) He continues to help police find the bodies as well as understand the serial killer’s mind, just as Ted Bundy did during the hunt for him. Ridgway is also believed to be responsible for the deaths of other victims in other areas. He has agreed to allow those police to question him as well as work with them to the best of his abilities. Gary Ridgway is currently held in the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla, Washington where he will continue to live out his life without parole sentences.   

Conviction: Reflection

Gary Ridgway’s trial and conviction finally put many people’s fears and hard work to rest. After 20 years, the families of the victims as well as the dedicated detectives finally got the justice that they deserved. Once police were able to secure the evidence, bringing a close to the investigation and wrapping up the trail was a breeze. Ridgway tried his best to avoid being caught and found guilty, but I believed he knew it was only a matter of time before he lost. The risk of being charged with the death sentence obviously sped up this reaction. Deciding to exchange every detail for a life without parole charge was a smart one, even though it angered many.  Many families and the public believed that he deserved the death penalty. But it is a strong possibility that if he would of received it, he wouldn’t have ever given the police the locations of the other  bodies, preventing families from getting the peace they have deserved for 20 years.

Conclusion

The Green River murders wreaked havoc on the Seattle, Washington strip for over 20 years. Starting with the discovery of three women along and in the river, these murders led to a huge run-around investigation as well as a body count that exceeded 60 victims. DNA testing was not a well known technology in the 80’s, so it was near impossible for police to use the small samples that they were able to collect. Because of this, the Green River Task Force was forced into waiting and marking the case as ‘unsolved’. It wasn’t until the early 2000’s when detective Jensen was finally able to reopen the case and use the evidence that finally allowed him to track down the murderer; Gary Leon Ridgway of King County, Washington.  Originally charged with just four murders, Ridgway believed that he would be able to escape prosecution and the death penalty by pleading “not guilty”. But as more and more evidence was mounted against him, linking him to more than the original three murders, he finally realized that he had lost. Ridgway admitted to over 60 murders. When questioned why, he responded, ‘I hate most prostitutes and I did not want to pay them for sex.” (Green River Running Red (Book)) He agreed to help police locate the missing bodies and received a life without parole sentence. The Green River murders and the hunt itself became very famous. Several musicians wrote songs referencing to Ridgway and the murders including Julie Ruin’s song I Want to Know What Love Is and Neko Case's famous song Deep Red Bells. Multiple books were also written about the investigation including Chasing the Devil by actual detective David Reichert and Green River Running Red by Ann Rule. The Green River murders are definitely one of the most notorious serial murder cases in the U.S., right along with the ones committed by Bundy, Gacy, and even Mason.

Works Cited

Bell, Rachael. "Green River Killer:River of Death." www.trutv.com. 28 March 2012 <http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/predators/greeniver/routine_2.html>.

"Catching the Green River Killer." 2003. Ebscohost.com. 26 March 2012 <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ulh&AN=11604012&site=ehost-live>.

"Reeling In a Monster: Seattle's Green River Killer spills his horrific tale." Newsweek 2003: 44.

Rule, Ann. Green River, Running Red. New York, NY: FREE PRESS , 2004.

—. "Green River, Running Red ." 2005. Ebscohost.com . 30 March 2012 <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ulh&AN=19902136&site=ehost-live>.

"Timeline: DNA testing helped lead investigators to Green River killer." The Seattle Times 6 November 2003.