The King County Sheriff’s Office in Washington state announced yesterday that they have identified the last unknown human remains associated with serial killer Gary Ridgway, aka The Green River Killer.
The cops have identified a set of bones initially labeled as Bones #20 as belonging to 16-year-old Tammie Liles. She was from Everett, Washington, north of Seattle.
Gary Ridgway has been convicted of killing 49 women and girls throughout the 1980s and 1990s. He had scattered bones and bodies throughout the area surrounding the Green River, which flows to the south of Seattle. However, he also confused investigators by moving some of the remains to Oregon.
The cops said that all bones recovered have now been identified and accounted for. Unfortunately, Ridgway has been linked to up to 80 murders, so there may be more undiscovered remains out there.
Some of Tammie’s remains were first discovered in 1985 near the Tualatin Golf Course near Tigard, Oregon. In 1988, officers were able to use dental records to identify her as a victim through these partial remains.
Two other victims, Denise Bush and Shirley Sherrill, were also discovered and identified in Tigard, Oregon.
Gary Ridgway, aka the Green River Killer, led cops to Bones #20
In 2003, Ridgway led investigators to a site along the Kent-Des Moines Road in King County, WA, where he revealed the location of more bones. These bones had no skull and no way to identify them, so they were labeled Bones #20.
Watch the Latest on our YouTube ChannelLast year, the KC Sherrif’s Office contracted Othram, a forensic sequencing laboratory that works on forensic genetic genealogy. This organization built a DNA profile, which they matched to Tammie Liles.
The police contacted Tammie’s mother, who was able to provide DNA, which allowed the authorities to confirm that Bones #20 belonged to the murdered teenager.
Ridgway began killing in July 1982 and managed to escape justice until 2001.
He is thought to have killed about 40 women and girls between 1982 and 1984. The number of killings eased after 1984 but continued up until at least 1998.
The killer liked to prey on vulnerable women and girls, such as sex workers or those who had run away from home.
Where is the Green River Killer now? Gary Ridgway is serving 49 life sentences
The serial killer had been an early suspect and was interviewed by the cops on multiple occasions, but unfortunately, there was never enough evidence to convict him. He was finally put away after advances in forensic DNA testing led to his arrest.
Ridgway was convicted of 49 murders in total, though he claimed to have killed up to 80. He was sentenced to 49 life sentences and is currently incarcerated at the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla, WA.