SEATTLE — In September 2024, Gary Ridgway, the notorious serial killer also known as the “Green River Killer,” was booked back into King County Jail after spending most of his multiple life sentences in the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla.
Ridgway, now 76, haunted the Pacific Northwest throughout the 80s and early 90s, murdering at least 49 women and girls in the Seattle and Tacoma area. He is suspected of killing even more.
Ridgway was convicted and handed 49 consecutive life sentences for murder in 2003. County Prosecuting Attorney Norm Maleng decided to trade the possibility of the death penalty for the truth about unsolved cases after Ridgway agreed to lead investigators to the graves of his victims.
Since then, Ridgway has routinely met with King County Sheriff’s Office detectives to provide information on investigations of unsolved homicide cases. These meetings previously occurred at the Washington State Penitentiary.
Naturally, the King County transfer piqued public interest, but his transport documents were sealed to the public. Officials later explained the transport order and the reasons for sealing were initially kept confidential to protect the safety of law enforcement and corrections staff, as well as to safeguard an ongoing investigation.
However, on Friday, a judge finally ordered the unsealing of documents, revealing the reason for Ridgway’s transfer. A representative with King County provided a streamlined explanation of these documents in a press release.
According to King County, prosecutors said previous efforts to find the locations of Ridgeway’s victims based on verbal descriptions given at Washington State Penitentiary were unsuccessful – but Ridgway told police he believed he could find the locations in person.
Following this negotiation, he was booked back into King County Jail on an institutional hold on Sept. 9.
The King County Sheriff’s Office organized a team of detectives to take Ridgway to locations where he believed he left remains of victims that have not yet been recovered.
The release did not clarify if any previously undiscovered remains were recovered, and Ridgway was transferred back to Walla Walla on Sept. 13.
King County Prosecuting Attorney Leesa Manion acknowledged the impact of Ridgway’s case on the victims’ families. “Every time that Gary Ridgway’s name is in the news, we know it is incredibly difficult and traumatizing for the families of his many victims,” Manion said. “Those victims and the people who loved them are not forgotten, and that’s who we are focused on today.”