Cold Case Is Closed by DNA Match: Green River Killer
In the 1980s and 1990s, a faceless killer stalked young women in the Seattle-Tacoma area. Dozens of women, mostly prostitutes, eventually disappeared, sometimes only a few days apart, sometimes only once or twice a year. The killer had a consistent modus operandi: he would rape the women, strangle them with his hands or a ligature, and then discard their bodies near the Green River. The police compiled a short list of suspects, including Gary Ridgway, a factory worker. But DNA testing was still in its infancy in the 1990s, and since officers lacked enough physical evidence to tie Mr. Ridgway to the crimes, they were unable to arrest him. “The case had basically come to a standstill,” said Beverly Himick, a forensic scientist at the Washington State Patrol Crime Laboratory.