5 chilling details about the Green River Killer's heinous crimes

Gary Ridgway, the Green River Killer, is among the most prolific serial killers in American history, with 49 confirmed murders and the possibility of many more. Ridgway, centered around the Seattle and Tacoma areas, left a trail of terror in the 1980s and early 1990s.

Ridgway preyed on vulnerable women and girls, several of whom were runaways and/or sex workers. His murders were brutal, fully-formed, premeditated, and systematic, and decades later, revelations continue to come out that emphasize the grisly breadth and method of Ridgway's murders.

He was convicted in 2003 of 49 murders and sentenced to life without parole. He is now imprisoned at Washington State Penitentiary,

Ted Bundy: Dialogue with the Devil details how another infamous serial killer, Ted Bundy, helped investigators in solving the Green River Killer's case. The series is set to premiere on August 7, 2025.

5 chilling details about the Green River Killer's crimes

1. The Green River Killer admitted to strangling every victim with his bare hands

Gary Ridgway confessed in a 2014 interview that he choked each of his victims. He said so with a disturbing, disconnected tone, as reported by MyNorthwest.

"I choked every one of them," Gary Ridgway erecounted.

Ridgway used his bare hands or ligatures, like shoelaces, to interrogate his victims to death. Ridgway's method emphasizes the profoundly personal and intentional nature of his attacks on his victims.

2. He left the bodies in remote areas and revisited them

Green River Killer would often dispose of his victims' bodies in wooded or remote areas near the Green River and wooded areas outside of Seattle. According to court documents and law enforcement documentation (as reported by KOMO News) reported that on occasion, Ridgway returned to the crime scenes and engaged in necrophilia with the decomposing bodies.

Some of these locations were so remote that many of the victims may have been found only years later, or never at all.

Ridgway left the bodies in remote areas and revisited them(Image via Unsplash)

3. He used the victims' belongings to lure others

One of Ridgway's more calculated strategies included placing the belongings of one victim near the bodies of other victims, i.e, location and misdirection to investigators or new victims.

In police files, it stated that Ridgway, in part to create confusion, would place clothing or jewelry on or near a corpse to confuse timelines and forensic identification, as reported by KOMO News. He staged, creating more difficulty for investigations and prolonging the suffering for families without answers.

Ridgway used the victims' belongings to lure others (Image via Unsplash)

4. He continued killing after being questioned by the police

Ridgway was a murder suspect as early as 1983, but he was still taking women’s lives for over 20 years. According to the Seattle Times, even after passing a polygraph test and cooperating with investigators, he continued to kill more people.

The fact that he was able to deceive law enforcement officers as he was committing more crimes was found to be an indication of how thoroughly he manipulated detectives and the failures of the police to prevent him from continuing his murder spree in those early years.

Ridgway continued killing after being questioned by the police (Image via Youtube/@Hulu)

5. Ridgway took detectives on a 2024 search for more victims

In the year 2024, decades after his conviction as the Green River Killer, Ridgway still has connections to open investigations against additional suspects. In September of that year, he was transferred from the Washington State Penitentiary to King County Jail and was brought to multiple locations where he stated there was a possibility of more remains.

Over several days, detectives and investigators utilized cadaver dogs, radar, and forensic experts, but nothing was found. According to unsealed court records, investigators believed Ridgway could very well have made up new locations to feel in control of the story, as reported by Fox13.

Detectives and investigators utilized cadaver dogs, radar, and forensic experts, but nothing was found (Image via Unsplash)

Viewers can learn more about the Green River Killer's case by streaming Ted Bundy: Dialogue with the Devil on Hulu.

About the author

Preethika Vijayakumar is an Entertainment writer at Sportskeeda with a keen interest in pop culture. Although a law student, her curiosity about the world and passion for writing inspired her to explore and analyze the complex narrative and diverse character arcs that define the daily soaps.

With experience as a legal content writer, Preethika also achieved a notable accomplishment as her work was published in a book about criminology and victimology. As a fellow binge-watcher, Preethika aims to provide insightful analysis based on her firsthand viewing experiences, ensuring accuracy and relevance in her writing.

Outside of professional endeavors, she enjoys reading, playing guitar, and creating ceramics. Her favorite celebrity is Jensen Ackles, and if given the opportunity, Preethika would love to be a part of his show, Supernatural, although she isn’t sure she could last until the end.

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Edited by Bharath S