The Green River Killer: Who Were Gary Ridgway’s Victims?

Apoorva Jujjavarapu
·4 min read
Gary Ridgway's victims
Photo Credits: Prime Video

Gary Ridgway’s victims continue to be confirmed as the deadly serial killer is serving time at the Washington State Penitentiary. With an estimated victim count of 80, he managed to murder for almost two long decades from 1982 to 1998 without getting caught and most of the narrative about his horrifying crimes is centred around his ability to not get caught. Although he only pled guilty for the killing of 49 women, he claimed to have killed dozens more.

A majority of Gary Ridgway‘s victims were prostitutes or runaways. He expressed that he would sexually assault the corpses of his victims, but he never picked anyone up at random. He would make sure that the prostitutes were by themselves and would make sure to wear gloves on the dates he went on. His tendency to perpetrate violence was previously demonstrated when he was arrested for choking a prostitute in 1980.

Gary Ridgway approached his murders in a rather disciplined manner. He executed each crime with finesse and care to make sure he wouldn’t get caught. Ridgway never smoked or chewed gum but would drop cigarette buds and chewed gums around the corpse to mislead the authorities. He always replaced his tires whenever he left tire marks close to the crime scene.

Gary Ridgway’s victims: How many people did the Green River Killer murder & who were they?

Even though the court only convicted Gary Ridgway of 49 murders during the trial, he claimed to have murdered over 80 women, mostly prostitutes owing to his ‘hatred’ towards them.

Ridgway’s popular title of the Green River Killer originated from his initial crimes. His first known victim, a 16-year-old girl, Wendy Lee Coffield, went missing before authorities found her body in the Green River in July 1982. Several others from Gary Ridgway’s victims’ corpses were found in and around the lake, giving rise to the name, the Green River Killer. Over the next two years after the first killing, Gary Ridgway is known to have committed 40 more murders.

Later, when a prostitute went missing, the police interrogated Ridgway as he was the last person she allegedly met. Gary Ridgway passed the polygraph test and didn’t give the police anything to hold against him. Even raids of his home and vehicles proved futile considering the lack of adequate technology to make accurate DNA matches at that time.

After an alleged 40 murders in the following two years, Ridgway continued the murders till 1998 when the police finally got hold of him. Of the confirmed murders, here is a list of Gary Ridgway’s victims and their ages based on the sequence of killings.

List of the Green River Killer’s victims

  • Wendy Lee Coffield – 16

  • Gisele Ann Lovvorn – 17

  • Debra Lynn Bonner – 23

  • Marcia Fay Chapman – 31

  • Cynthia Jean Hinds – 17

  • Opal Charmaine Mills – 16

  • Terry Rene Milligan – 16

  • Mary Bridget Meehan – 18

  • Debra Lorraine Estes – 15

  • Linda Jane Rule – 16

  • Denise Darcel Bush – 23

  • Shawnda Leea Summers – 16

  • Shirley Marie Sherrill – 18

  • Rebecca ‘Becky’ Marrero – 20

  • Colleen Renee Brockman – 15

  • Sandra Denise Major – 20

  • Wendy Stephens – 14

  • Alma Ann Smith – 18

  • Delores LaVerne Williams – 17

  • Gail Lynn Mathews – 23

  • Andrea Marion Childers – 19

  • Sandra Kay Gabbert – 17

  • Kimi-Kai Pitsor – 16

  • Marie M Malvar – 18

  • Carol Ann Christensen – 21

  • Martina Theresa Authorlee – 18

  • Cheryl Lee Wims – 18

  • Yvonne ‘Shelly’ Antosh – 19

  • Carrie Ann Rois – 15

  • Constance Elizabeth Naon – 19

  • Kelly Marie Ware – 22

  • Tina Marie Thompson – 21

  • April Dawn Buttram – 16

  • Debbie May Abernathy – 26

  • Tracy Ann Winston – 19

  • Maureen Sue Feeney – 19

  • Mary Sue Bello – 25

  • Pammy Annette Avent – 15

  • Delise Louise Plager – 22

  • Kimberly L Nelson – 21

  • Lisa Yates – 19

  • Mary Exzetta West – 16

  • Cindy Anne Smith – 17

  • Patricia Michelle Barczak – 19

  • Roberta Joseph Hayes – 21

  • Marta Reeves – 36

  • Patricia Yellowrobe – 38

  • Unidentified White Female – 14-18

  • Unidentified Female – 13-24

The Green River Killer: Mind of a Monster is a true crime documentary that follows the investigation of Gary Ridgway’s crimes and the continuous effort to identify Gary Ridgway’s victims. It aired on ID in February 2020.

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