48 Lives Lost: The Unbelievable Confessions of Gary Ridgway, America’s Most Notorious Killer
Gary Ridgway, born on February 18, 1949, in Salt Lake City, Utah, is known as America's deadliest convicted serial killer. Ridgway claimed to have murdered as many as 80 women, mostly prostitutes, in Washington during the 1980s and 1990s. However, he only confessed to 48 murders in 2003.
Ridgway grew up in what is now SeaTac, Washington. His father was a bus driver, and his mother worked as a sales clerk. Ridgway later accused his mother of inappropriate behavior, including washing his genitals after he wet the bed, a habit that continued into his teens. He began to fantasize about killing her and, in the mid-1960s, he stabbed a young boy. After graduating high school in 1969, Ridgway served in the U.S. Navy for two years and then worked as a truck painter in the Seattle area. He married three times and had a son.
In 1980, Ridgway was arrested for allegedly choking a prostitute, but no charges were filed. Two years later, he was arrested for solicitation. He is believed to have started his killing spree around this time. His first known victim was a 16-year-old girl who went missing in July 1982. Her body was found a week later in the Green River. Over the next two years, Ridgway raped and killed more than 40 women, many of whom were prostitutes or runaways. Several of his early victims were found in or near the Green River, earning him the nickname "Green River Killer." Other victims were found in remote wooded areas. Ridgway continued killing until 1998.
By August 1982, police suspected a serial killer was active and formed a special task force. Ridgway became a suspect and was questioned in 1983 about the disappearance of a prostitute who was seen getting into his truck. Ridgway denied the allegations and passed a polygraph test in 1984. Detectives later found a report from 1982 about Ridgway being with a prostitute in a parked car, with a body discovered nearby two years later. In 1987, law enforcement obtained a search warrant for Ridgway’s home and workplace, but no evidence linked him to the crimes. DNA technology at the time could not match his DNA with semen found on the victims. However, advancements in DNA testing led to a match in 2001, and Ridgway was arrested later that year.
Ridgway initially denied the charges but later confessed, revealing that he wanted to kill as many prostitutes as possible. He targeted sex workers because he believed they were less likely to be reported missing and because he harbored a strong dislike for them. In 2003, Ridgway accepted a plea deal, receiving 48 consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole. He also agreed to disclose the locations of undiscovered bodies. Despite his confession, there was speculation that he was responsible for more deaths, and in 2013, Ridgway claimed to have killed up to 80 women.
