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Research Paper On Gary Ridgway

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Gary Ridgway also referred to as "The Green River Killer" is among the most prolific serial killers in the United States. Ridgway was on a two-year killing spree in the 1980’s whereby almost 50 people were killed (Hickey, 2016). He was named the “Green River Killer” as most of the victims’ bodies were dumped in or around the Green River in Washington. Most of the people were killed in the Tacoma and Seattle areas of Washington State after which the Green River Task Force was formed by the country sheriff to track down the serial killer (Hickey, 2016). Most of the victims were women, presumably prostitutes, who were disappeared someday apart or once or twice yearly. The victims were raped and strangled thereby highlighting that the killer had a consistent mode of killing. …show more content…

Notably, DNA testing was still in its infancy in the 1990s thereby making it hard for the officers to capture the killer (Hickey, 2016). Additionally, the police did not have the physical evidence that would tie Ridgway as the criminal thereby making it impossible to call for his arrest. The technological limitations brought the case to a standstill but not for long. In 2001, technological advancement brought the case back to light after forensic experts decided to re-examine the DNA evidence compiled for years. The last-ditch effort deployed two means of analysis, the short tandem repeat (S.T.R.) and polymerase chain reaction (P.C.R.) tests making it indispensable to copy the sequence of DNA fragments from the crime scenes (Hickey, 2016). The police rinsed fingernails to trace evidence after which it was swabbed with the ligatures to obtain cellar materials. Considerably, sperm was found clinging on the pubic hairs of one of the

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