Gary Ridgway "The Green River Killer", Washington (Active: 1982–1998, possibly earlier)
Ridgway was convicted of the murders of 49 women, though he confessed to killing 71. Ridgway targeted vulnerable women, often prostitutes and runaways. His victims were mainly strangled, and many were dumped near the Green River, which is where he got his nickname.
Known Victims:
Wendy Lee Coffield – 16 years old. Killed on July 15, 1982. One of Ridgway’s first known victims, who was found near the Green River.
Deborah Lynne Bonner – 23 years old. Killed on August 15, 1982. A woman who was strangled and found near the Green River.
Shandra Whitehead – 19 years old. Killed on May 1983. Ridgway killed Whitehead, and her remains were found in a wooded area near the river.
Marcia Chapman – 31 years old. Killed on February 1983. Found near the Green River, she had been strangled.
Kristin Donna Bernard – 22 years old. Killed on June 1983. A victim who had been strangled and dumped near the river.
Heather Mae Trefon – 22 years old. Killed on August 1983. Her body was found in a wooded area in King County.
Debbie Ann Bragg – 15 years old. Killed on July 1984. Ridgway's youngest victim, she was strangled and her body was later found.
Cynthia Jean Hinds – 29 years old. Killed on November 1984. Another victim whose remains were found in 1985 near the Green River.
Tina Thompson – 19 years old. Killed on June 1985. Strangled and dumped near the river, her body was found the following year.
Mary Ann Edmonds – 25 years old. Killed on July 1986. Her remains were found in 1987, and she was identified as one of Ridgway's victims.
Carol Ann Christensen –21 years old. Killed on July 1986. Found near the river after being strangled.
Pamela Mae Allison – 18 years old. Killed on August 1986. She was one of the victims found in the area around the Green River.
Suzanne Marie Neufeld – 19 years old. Killed on March 1987. Strangled and dumped in a remote area, Neufeld was a victim found in the early years of Ridgway's killing spree.
Yvonne Susan Layton – 16 years old. Killed on June 1987. Found murdered, Layton was another victim of Ridgway's growing list.
Rebecca Ann Fox – 14 years old. Killed on August 1987. Fox was a runaway and was among Ridgway's youngest victims.
Kimberly Diane Compton – 19 years old. Killed on April 1982. Her body was one of the first discovered near the Green River, and Ridgway later confessed to her murder.
Katherine Ann Board – 22 years old. Killed on March 1990. Board's body was found in a secluded area, and she was also strangled.
Judith Lee Rose – 17 years old. Killed in 1990. A teenage victim found in a wooded area, Rose had been strangled like the others.
Other Victims: The full list includes many more women, but many of their identities remained unknown for years, and some were discovered only after Ridgway’s arrest.
Ridgway was able to avoid capture for nearly two decades. He was arrested in 2001 after DNA evidence linked him to several of the murders. Ridgway later pleaded guilty to 49 murders and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. He provided investigators with details about his victims and the crimes, which helped bring closure to many families.
