The Serial Stream: Tracing Gary Ridgway's Trail

Gary Ridgway, also known as the Green River Killer, is one of the most prolific serial killers in U.S. history. Born on February 18, 1949, in Salt Lake City, Utah, Ridgway was convicted of 49 murders, although he confessed to killing up to 71 women. His crimes took place between the early 1980s and late 1990s, primarily targeting sex workers and vulnerable women in the Seattle area.

Ridgway's troubled childhood included a domineering mother and a father who was a bus driver. He struggled with bed-wetting and dyslexia, and he was held back a year in school1. Ridgway's criminal activities began shortly after his arrest for solicitation in 1982, and he managed to evade capture for nearly two decades until advances in DNA profiling led to his arrest in 2001.