CRIME
Final Set Of Remains Identified In Green River Killer Case
King County Sheriff’s Office
The final set of remains linked to Washington state’s Green River killer has been identified as belonging to a teen girl who was already known to be one of his 49 victims.
The King County Sheriffs Office on Monday announced the identification of the remains of 16-year-old Tammie Liles, of Everett, Wash. Liles had been previously been identified as victim of Gary Ridgway, known as the Green River killer, after partial remains were identified using dental records in 1988.
The remains of multiple teen girls and young women began to turn up in the Seattle area in the 1980s, and although Ridgway was long a suspect, detectives could not prove he was the killer until 2001, after advancements in DNA testing were made.
A partial set of remains belonging to Liles was found in 1985 along with those of another victim. In 2003, Ridgway led detectives to the rest of her remains, but they could not be identified, and were labeled only as Bones 20.
In 2003, Ridgway pleaded guilty to a total of 48 murders, later adding a 49th. He is serving a life sentence without possibility of parole at the Washington State Penitentiary.
Although Ridgway had admitted to killing Liles, Bones 20 remained unidentified. It wasn’t until 2022 that the King County Sheriff’s Office sought forensic genetic genealogy to identify the remains.
In August 2023, the DNA profile was completed, and the remains were tentatively identified as belonging to Liles. A DNA sample from her mother confirmed it.
According to the sheriff’s office, it was the final set of unidentified remains linked to the Green River killer case.
“Its an immense feeling of satisfaction that in this case, that started in the early 80s, we are able to identify all of Gary Ridgways victims,” sheriffs spokesperson Eric White told The Seattle Times. “All 49 of them.”
TMX contributed to this article.
