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The Green River Killer - Gary Ridgway (Part 3)

July 13, 2026 • 1h 14m

Summary

⏱️ 7 min read

Overview

This episode continues the Green River Killer investigation, covering the period from 1984-1985 when the task force consulted with Ted Bundy for insights into the killer's psychology. Multiple victim remains are discovered across Washington and Oregon, including several teenage girls. Despite FBI involvement and expanded resources, the investigation struggles to make progress, though the killer's activity appears to slow down temporarily. The episode details the heartbreaking discoveries of victims like 15-year-old Colleen Brockman and provides updates on recent identifications made decades later through DNA technology.

The Media Problem and Task Force Dedication

Despite working tirelessly on the case, the Green River Task Force faced unfair criticism from the media suggesting they didn't care about the victims. In reality, investigators were so dedicated that some were hospitalized from stress. The task force was doing everything possible including having officers go undercover as sex workers to try to lure the killer out. This public perception problem added to the already immense pressure of the investigation.

  • Media falsely portrayed investigators as not caring, when in fact some were hospitalized from stress
  • The existence of a task force itself demonstrated they cared deeply about solving these murders
  • Officers were willing to go undercover as sex workers to try to catch the killer
  • Information was kept close to the chest for legitimate investigative reasons, not because they didn't care

Spring 1984 Victim Discoveries - The Cluster Sites

Between March and May 1984, investigators discovered multiple cluster dump sites containing the remains of numerous victims. The Star Lake Road site alone yielded six victims, making it one of the largest and most heartbreaking discoveries. These findings confirmed the killer had preferred dump sites he would return to repeatedly. The victims ranged from teenagers to young women in their twenties, many of whom had been missing for over a year before their remains were found.

  • Lisa Yates, 19, discovered March 13, 1984 near Interstate 90, had been missing since December 1983
  • 14-year-old Wendy Stevens found March 21, 1984 - she was a runaway from Denver and wouldn't be identified until 2021, making her the youngest victim
  • Star Lake Road site discovered March 31, 1984 contained remains of Terry Milligan (16), Dolores Williams (17), Sandra Gabbert (17), Alma Smith (18), and Debbie Abernathy (26)
  • Debbie Abernathy made the 25th victim - the list of victims was now double the size of the missing women list
  • Colleen Brockman, 15, found May 26, 1984 - identified by her father who recognized her dental braces from a newspaper description
" She was young and beautiful, gifted, loving and funny. I thought she was so cool. "
" I knew what it was, but I hoped that it wasn't. "

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