031: Serial Killer Files Part 3 - The Green River Killer

Highway

Lured them using his family man personality and the picture of his son

Took them to secluded areas and strangled them to death

He used his hand in the beginning but began using ligatures to avoid injuries

Most of the murders were committed in the woods, his truck or his room

Close calls:

He was arrested in 1982 and 2001 with regards to prostitution

One of his victims, Rebecca Gardey escaped from his chokehold

Sketches made during the eighties matched Ridgway, but no arrests were made

He underwent a polygraph test and passed in 1984

His saliva and hair samples were collected in 1987, but the technology back then could not connect him to the murders

Breakthroughs:

The saliva and hair samples came to use when DNA technology in the 2000s helped develop a profile of the killer.

The DNA profile of Ridgway matched with the evidence found at the crime scenes and victims’.

The paint traces found in the ligature and clothing of the victim traced back to Kenworth Truck Factory.

Notes:

Gary Ridgway stabbed a six-year-old boy when he was 16 just to know how it feels to kill someone.

Image: Wikipedia