Research Paper On Gary Ridgway

The Green River Killer
Convicted for the largest number of murders in the US, the “Green River Killer”, Gary Ridgway was not only the most prolific killer in our nation’s history, but also one of the hardest to catch. Committing murders for an upward of 20 years, he was a criminal mastermind. Now 15 years after his capture, Ridgway still intrigues many, as sources and volunteers continue to delve into his horrific past and search for the remains of those he killed. Born in 1949 in Salt Lake City, Utah, Ridgway was instantly launched into a troubled life. Ridgway, the middle child, whose parents were described as having frequent violent arguments, often wet the bed and fantasized over his mother, in more ways than one. Ridgway was diagnosed

Ridgway committed all his murders between 1982 and 1998 (Seattle Times). His victims were all prostitutes or runaways as he considered them easier targets, knowing it would take longer for them to come up as missing. He often stated he hated prostitutes for being around, while simultaneously and frequently utilizing their services throughout his whole life. It is also on record that his father had a deep hatred toward prostitutes. Ridgway made himself as appealing to the women as possible, often planting his sons toys in his truck, or showing them a photo of his son he kept in his wallet, in order to make him seem less dangerous. Ridgway said he was often asked if he was the killer at large to which he would respond “Do I look like the Killer?”. Ridgway a 5’10’, 155 pound older male was often then dismissed by the women as they assumed he wasn’t capable. All of the women he killed were between 16-38 years of age and they were all strangled to death. Ridgway frequently engaged in rape and necrophilia with all the women he killed. Ridgway planted most of the women along the Green River in clusters, resulting in his nickname the “Green River Killer”. Ridgway would plant the bodies in odd poses, often with prop like items on or around them. He would also contaminate the sites with litter, cigarettes, gum, etc in order to throw off authorities. He also frequently moved bodies around, even moving two to Portland at one point to keep police off of his trail