Green River Killings

Ridgway First Identified as a Suspect

Gary Ridgway is first contacted by police after the disappearance of Marie Malvar. Her boyfriend reports seeing her get into a pickup truck traced back to Ridgway. He is interviewed, denies involvement, and passes a polygraph test in May 1984.

1. Victim Marie Malvar disappears. Her boyfriend reports the truck she was seen getting into is Ridgway's, leading to police contact.
2. Ridgway is officially interviewed as a prime suspect and submits to a polygraph examination, which he passes, diverting suspicion for years.
3. Police search Ridgway's home and vehicles and take DNA/bodily samples, but there is still insufficient evidence for an arrest.

DNA Evidence Breakthrough and Match

Advances in DNA technology allow investigators to re-examine evidence collected in 1987. Semen samples from multiple victims are conclusively matched to the DNA profile collected from Gary Ridgway.

1. The Washington State Crime Lab begins using a new DNA method (touch DNA/PCR) to test Green River killer evidence collected years earlier.
2. Ridgway's DNA is definitively matched to samples from victims Marcia Chapman, Opal Mills, and Cynthia Hinds.

Arrest of Gary Ridgway

Gary Ridgway is arrested at the Kenworth truck factory where he works in Renton, Washington, based on the new DNA evidence linking him to four murders.

Plea Deal and Confessions

To avoid the death penalty, Ridgway agrees to a plea deal. He pleads guilty to 48 counts of aggravated first-degree murder and agrees to cooperate by confessing to dozens of murders and leading investigators to the remains of his undiscovered victims.

1. Ridgway provides detailed confessions to prosecutors and detectives, admitting to killing as many as 70-80 women to secure the plea agreement.
2. In court, Ridgway pleads guilty to 48 counts of aggravated first-degree murder.

Sentencing to 48 Life Sentences

Gary Ridgway is sentenced to 48 consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole, plus 10 years for each count of tampering with evidence, totaling an additional 480 years.

49th Conviction (Rebecca Marrero)

Ridgway pleads guilty to a 49th murder, that of 20-year-old Rebecca 'Becky' Marrero, whose remains were found in December 2010. He is given another consecutive life sentence.

Permanent Incarceration

Following his sentencing, Gary Ridgway is incarcerated at the Washington State Penitentiary, where he remains serving his 49 consecutive life sentences.

Temporary Transfer to Aid Investigation

Ridgway is temporarily transferred from his prison in Walla Walla to the King County Jail to assist detectives in physically locating the unrecovered remains of other potential victims, pursuant to his plea agreement.

1. Ridgway is booked into the King County Correctional Facility on an institutional hold.
2. Ridgway is driven by detectives to various remote areas to identify locations where he may have dumped bodies, hoping to succeed where verbal descriptions failed.
3. Ridgway is transferred back to the Washington State Penitentiary.

Transport Purpose Revealed in Unsealed Documents

A King County judge unseals court documents from the September 2024 transfer, officially confirming that Ridgway was moved to physically guide detectives to locations of unrecovered victim remains under the terms of his 2003 plea agreement.

First Bodies Discovered in the Green River

The body of Wendy Lee Coffield, 16, is discovered in the Green River. Within a month, the bodies of Debra Lynn Bonner, Marcia Faye Chapman, Opal Charmaine Mills, and Cynthia Jean Hinds are also found, confirming a serial killer is operating.

1. The body of Wendy Lee Coffield is discovered in the Green River.
2. The body of Debra Lynn Bonner is found in the same river.
3. The remains of three more victims—Cynthia Hinds, Opal Mills, and Marcia Chapman—are discovered near the river, prompting the formation of a major task force.

First Bodies Discovered in the Green River

The body of Wendy Lee Coffield, 16, is discovered in the Green River. Within a month, the bodies of Debra Lynn Bonner, Marcia Faye Chapman, Opal Charmaine Mills, and Cynthia Jean Hinds are also found, confirming a serial killer is operating.

1. The body of Wendy Lee Coffield is discovered in the Green River.
2. The body of Debra Lynn Bonner is found in the same river.
3. The remains of three more victims—Cynthia Hinds, Opal Mills, and Marcia Chapman—are discovered near the river, prompting the formation of a major task force.

First Bodies Discovered in the Green River

The body of Wendy Lee Coffield, 16, is discovered in the Green River. Within a month, the bodies of Debra Lynn Bonner, Marcia Faye Chapman, Opal Charmaine Mills, and Cynthia Jean Hinds are also found, confirming a serial killer is operating.

1. The body of Wendy Lee Coffield is discovered in the Green River.
2. The body of Debra Lynn Bonner is found in the same river.
3. The remains of three more victims—Cynthia Hinds, Opal Mills, and Marcia Chapman—are discovered near the river, prompting the formation of a major task force.

DNA Evidence Breakthrough and Match

Advances in DNA technology allow investigators to re-examine evidence collected in 1987. Semen samples from multiple victims are conclusively matched to the DNA profile collected from Gary Ridgway.

1. The Washington State Crime Lab begins using a new DNA method (touch DNA/PCR) to test Green River killer evidence collected years earlier.
2. Ridgway's DNA is definitively matched to samples from victims Marcia Chapman, Opal Mills, and Cynthia Hinds.

First Bodies Discovered in the Green River

The body of Wendy Lee Coffield, 16, is discovered in the Green River. Within a month, the bodies of Debra Lynn Bonner, Marcia Faye Chapman, Opal Charmaine Mills, and Cynthia Jean Hinds are also found, confirming a serial killer is operating.

1. The body of Wendy Lee Coffield is discovered in the Green River.
2. The body of Debra Lynn Bonner is found in the same river.
3. The remains of three more victims—Cynthia Hinds, Opal Mills, and Marcia Chapman—are discovered near the river, prompting the formation of a major task force.

DNA Evidence Breakthrough and Match

Advances in DNA technology allow investigators to re-examine evidence collected in 1987. Semen samples from multiple victims are conclusively matched to the DNA profile collected from Gary Ridgway.

1. The Washington State Crime Lab begins using a new DNA method (touch DNA/PCR) to test Green River killer evidence collected years earlier.
2. Ridgway's DNA is definitively matched to samples from victims Marcia Chapman, Opal Mills, and Cynthia Hinds.

First Bodies Discovered in the Green River

The body of Wendy Lee Coffield, 16, is discovered in the Green River. Within a month, the bodies of Debra Lynn Bonner, Marcia Faye Chapman, Opal Charmaine Mills, and Cynthia Jean Hinds are also found, confirming a serial killer is operating.

1. The body of Wendy Lee Coffield is discovered in the Green River.
2. The body of Debra Lynn Bonner is found in the same river.
3. The remains of three more victims—Cynthia Hinds, Opal Mills, and Marcia Chapman—are discovered near the river, prompting the formation of a major task force.

DNA Evidence Breakthrough and Match

Advances in DNA technology allow investigators to re-examine evidence collected in 1987. Semen samples from multiple victims are conclusively matched to the DNA profile collected from Gary Ridgway.

1. The Washington State Crime Lab begins using a new DNA method (touch DNA/PCR) to test Green River killer evidence collected years earlier.
2. Ridgway's DNA is definitively matched to samples from victims Marcia Chapman, Opal Mills, and Cynthia Hinds.

Ridgway First Identified as a Suspect

Gary Ridgway is first contacted by police after the disappearance of Marie Malvar. Her boyfriend reports seeing her get into a pickup truck traced back to Ridgway. He is interviewed, denies involvement, and passes a polygraph test in May 1984.

1. Victim Marie Malvar disappears. Her boyfriend reports the truck she was seen getting into is Ridgway's, leading to police contact.
2. Ridgway is officially interviewed as a prime suspect and submits to a polygraph examination, which he passes, diverting suspicion for years.
3. Police search Ridgway's home and vehicles and take DNA/bodily samples, but there is still insufficient evidence for an arrest.

49th Conviction (Rebecca Marrero)

Ridgway pleads guilty to a 49th murder, that of 20-year-old Rebecca 'Becky' Marrero, whose remains were found in December 2010. He is given another consecutive life sentence.

Identification of Lori Anne Razpotnik ('Bones 17')

Using forensic genetic genealogy, investigators identify the remains previously known as 'Bones 17' as 15-year-old runaway Lori Anne Razpotnik, nearly 40 years after her remains were found near Mountain View Cemetery.

Identification of Tammie Liles ('Bones 20')

The King County Sheriff's Office announces the remains labeled 'Bones 20' have been identified as 16-year-old Tammie Liles through DNA technology, confirming the identity of the last set of unidentified remains associated with Ridgway's 49 victims.

Transport Purpose Revealed in Unsealed Documents

A King County judge unseals court documents from the September 2024 transfer, officially confirming that Ridgway was moved to physically guide detectives to locations of unrecovered victim remains under the terms of his 2003 plea agreement.