What happened to James Dale Ritchie? Details explored ahead of See No Evil on ID

Anchorage, Alaska, serial killer James Dale Ritchie murdered five people along the bike trails and parks in and around the area throughout 2016 and was only identified as the killer after a chance encounter with the police during which he was shot to death. During the shootout, the gun he used to fire at a police officer was linked to five unsolved murders, including those of Brianna Foisy and Jason Netter.

In November 2016, Officer Arn Salao came across Ritchie, 40, while responding to a theft complaint. At the time, he did not know of Ritchie's crimes and approached him as a pedestrian. He initially ignored the officer before turning and opening fire on him. Salao was hit at least four times but returned gunfire while another officer arrived and shot the man. Ritchie was pronounced dead at the scene.

See No Evil on ID is slated to revisit the narrative of Anchorage serial killer James Dale Ritchie involved in multiple killings, inlcuding the double murders of Brianna Foisy and Jason Netter. The episode, titled Alaska Serial Killer, airs on the channel this Wednesday, May 17, at 9:00 pm ET.

The synopsis states:

"Brianna Foisy, 21, and Jason Netter, 41, are killed on an Alaskan bike path in 2016; it's a crime that baffles police, until similar murders begin to happen; police follow clues in a shocking murder to track the killer."

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James Dale Ritchie was identified as a serial killer after getting fatally shot during a chance encounter with police

According to Anchorage police, Officer Arn Salao was responding to a theft complaint in mid-November 2016 when he spotted 40-year-old James Dale Ritchie walking down a city street. When Salao pulled up next to Ritchie to ask if he had seen the crime, he ignored the question and continued walking before eventually turning and opening fire on the officer, hitting him at least four times.

The HuffPost reported that Salao returned gunfire and physically fought off the man until a second officer who happened to be in the area arrived at the scene and returned fire. Together, both officers fired multiple shots at Ritchie, killing him on site. At the time, police said that they knew no reason why he opened fire. Officer Salao survived the encounter.

Ballistics testing on the Colt Python.357 Magnum pistol Ritchie wielded during the gunfire disclosed a trail of death that had frightened Anchorage, Alaska, in the months leading up to the chance encounter. The firearm was linked to five unsolved killings of Jason Netter Sr., Brianna Foisy, Bryant De Husson, Kevin Schuyler Turner, and Treyveon-Kindell Thompson that occurred earlier that year.

An investigation reported that James Dale Ritchie attended school at East Anchorage High School and was a spectacular athlete before getting involved in drugs and petty thefts. Further records revealed that he lived in West Virginia for a certain period of time and eventually returned to Anchorage earlier that same year. Later, more evidence was found at his home linking him to the killings.

Reports state that authorities also traced the gun's ownership and found that it was in Ritchie's possession from before the double murders of Jason Netter Sr., and Brianna Foisy. Authorities failed to determine a motive but mentioned that the heroic actions of the Anchorage police officers "have made sure that this individual will not hurt any one of you or any one of the citizens."

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Who are the alleged victims of Anchorage serial killer James Dale Ritchie?

On July 3, 2016, Jason Netter, 41 and Brianna Foisy, 20, were found dead along Ship Creek Trail. Reports state that Netter, a father of two, had a lengthy criminal background at the time, involving a felony conviction for drugs. Meanwhile, Foisy was homeless and battled drug addiction.

More than a month later, the bodies of Kevin Schuyler Turner, 34, and Bryant De Husson, 25, were discovered next to a bike trail at Valley of the Moon Park on August 28. DeHusson, a well-known name in the community's environmental and social action circles, identified as non-binary or "two-spirit" gender. Turner, as per an online post made by his brother, "had a mental illness."

The fifth killing James Dale Ritchie's pistol was linked to was that of Treyveon-Kindell Thompson. He was murdered on July 29, although the circumstances were different from those in the previous murders. The 21-year-old was found shot multiple times on the side of a residential street and was in the process of enlisting in the American Army at the time.

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Learn more about the now-deceased Anchorage serial killer James Dale Ritchie on ID's See No Evil this Wednesday.