Youngest victim of infamous Green River Killer identified through genetic genealogy
Authorities in Washington state said genetic genealogy was used to identify the youngest victim of the notorious serial killer Gary Ridgway.
Known as the Green River Killer, Ridgway, now 71, terrorized women in marginalized and vulnerable communities in the Seattle area during the 1980s. Since he was apprehended in 2001 and later convicted, Ridgway has pleaded guilty to killing 49 women and girls during his terror spree which lasted mostly between 1982 and 1984. However, several of the victims remained unidentified until Monday.
The King County Sheriff’s Office said that remains found near a baseball field in Seattle in March 1984 were identified as Wendy Stephens, a 14-year-old runaway from Denver who was strangled by Ridgway the year prior. Her body was found shortly after the field’s groundskeeper’s dog found a leg bone. The remains of Cheryl Wims, another Ridgway victim, were discovered at the same time.
“Ridgway’s murderous spree left a trail of profound grief for so many families of murdered and missing women,” King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg said in a written statement. “We are thankful that Wendy Stephens’ family will now have answers to their enormous loss suffered nearly 40 years ago.”
Researchers at the nonprofit DNA Doe Project, which uses publicly available DNA databases to find relatives of unidentified victims, assisted law enforcement in tracking down Stephens’ family.
Authorities also believe Ridgway is responsible for tens of other murders. He has claimed to have killed so many women and girls that he has lost count, but made a plea bargain to help investigators find additional remains to avoid the death penalty. He is set to spend the rest of his life at the Washington State Penitentiary.
With News Wire Services
