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Green River Killings

Published March 1, 2026Updated March 25, 2026
Jul 15, 1982

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.

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  1. July 15, 1982
    The body of Wendy Lee Coffield is discovered in the Green River.
  2. August 12, 1982
    The body of Debra Lynn Bonner is found in the same river.
  3. August 15, 1982
    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.
Aug 16, 1982

Green River Task Force Formed

The King County Sheriff's Office officially forms the Green River Task Force to investigate the growing number of murders, initiating one of the longest and most expensive homicide investigations in U.S. history.

Apr 30, 1983

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.

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  1. April 30, 1983
    Victim Marie Malvar disappears. Her boyfriend reports the truck she was seen getting into is Ridgway's, leading to police contact.
  2. May 1984
    Ridgway is officially interviewed as a prime suspect and submits to a polygraph examination, which he passes, diverting suspicion for years.
  3. April 8, 1987
    Police search Ridgway's home and vehicles and take DNA/bodily samples, but there is still insufficient evidence for an arrest.
Sep 1, 2001

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.

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  1. March 2001
    The Washington State Crime Lab begins using a new DNA method (touch DNA/PCR) to test Green River killer evidence collected years earlier.
  2. September 2001
    Ridgway's DNA is definitively matched to samples from victims Marcia Chapman, Opal Mills, and Cynthia Hinds.
Nov 30, 2001

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.

Nov 5, 2003

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.

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  1. June-November 2003
    Ridgway provides detailed confessions to prosecutors and detectives, admitting to killing as many as 70-80 women to secure the plea agreement.
  2. November 5, 2003
    In court, Ridgway pleads guilty to 48 counts of aggravated first-degree murder.
Dec 18, 2003

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.

Feb 18, 2011

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.

Dec 18, 2003

Permanent Incarceration

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

Dec 20, 2023

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.

Jan 22, 2024

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.

Sep 9, 2024

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.

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  1. September 9, 2024
    Ridgway is booked into the King County Correctional Facility on an institutional hold.
  2. September 9-13, 2024
    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. September 13, 2024
    Ridgway is transferred back to the Washington State Penitentiary.
Mar 7, 2025

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.