By 1991, the task force was reduced to one person: Detective Jensen. As he drifted slowly downstream, he noticed a middle-aged balding man standing by the riverbank and a second, younger man sitting in a nearby pickup truck. Two boys found her body seven days later in the Green River. Are you sure that you want to delete this flower? Her body was found by two teenage boys riding their bikes across the bridge of the Green River, Wendy was under the Peck Bridge. There is little information available on 20 year old Sandra Major. Shed drive around looking for Wendy, once even tracking her footsteps through the snow. This location belongs to the following categories: Follow us on Facebook or Twitter to see future locations: Other locations that are relatively close to this place. People would ask me, Do you have children? she said. Tina Marie Thompson There are no volunteers for this cemetery. Sandra D. Major They knew that they had to find and catch him as soon as possible before any more women disappeared. Becoming a Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE. Carol Ann Christensen Thus began one of the longest and largest serial murder investigations in United States history. The Peck Bridge is located where the Frager Road and Kent-Des Moines Road intersect in Kent, Washington. Green River Killer Gary Ridgway: Photos from the archives. After years of inactivity, detectives hoped to finally put names to the remaining unidentified bones. Women, many of them just girls, really, started disappearing in 1982. Below, you will find the address and the GPS coordinates for this location. She was walking towards the Kmart where she planned to shop for clothes. You will receive a link to create a new password via email. Colleen was last seen alive on December 28th, 1982. According to her family, the last time Becky left the family home she turned back to her mother and said Im going to be gone for a long time, and where Im going, I cant take a baby. She was a good friend of Debra Estess and was last seen alive on December 2nd west of the SeaTac Strip. The way Wendy was identified, said Detective Jensen, I never would have believed it was possible 10 years ago. Family members linked to this person will appear here. Year should not be greater than current year. He found a third body, that of a young girl who was partially clothed. The body of Wendy Lee Coffield is removed from the Green River in 1982 Email Print Share Reprints Follow @TIME Marcia Chapman's hand seemed to be waving in the river's current when Detective. By 1982 Debbie decided to leave her family home, stole $250 from her mothers purse and began living in various motels with an older boyfriend/pimp; whether or not he knew she was underage isnt known. After falling in with the wrong friends Dub dropped out of high school, began abusing alcohol and fought with her parents. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. A nonprofit operation run by volunteers, the Doe Project had pioneered the use of forensic genealogy the same technology used to find Californias Golden State Killer in 2018 to identify Jane and John Does. The 16-year-old was found floating underneath this bridge. I was like, OK, well, they dont need that, and Im not getting what I need there.. The couple had no proper means of income, no car and were living out of motels. And my sister she was a sweet person, a caring person and she was loved by a lot of people., There is no documented of 16 year old Opal Mills being involved in any kind of prostitution. Opal Mills, victim of the Green River Killer. In shock, he sat down and waited for help to arrive. However she was an incredibly talented artist who began to rebel in middle school. The assailant was dubbed the Green . This is the location where the body of Wendy Lee Coffield was found. Try again later. We talked while she was there, Ms. Gaspar recalled. It was mid-October 2020, and she and her husband, Warren, were spending the day with a grandniece, their weekly babysitting engagement. Terri adored her baby boy but she dropped out of school and never had the chance to go back. As the the landslide of human loss steadily accelerated, police even those who normally hesitated to cooperate with neighboring jurisdictions quickly noticed a horrific pattern appearing in instances that were previously considered simply isolated tragedies. One can only assume that they may have had a lack of financial resources and that their low socioeconomic status may have contributed to Dubs future course of life. Yvonne Shelly Antosh CreditPhoto Illustration by Aubrey Trinnaman for The New York Times. Thank you for fulfilling this photo request. Required fields are marked *. She had been killed by ligature strangulation. 17 year old Marie Malvar moved out of her family home by 1983 and, working as a waitress in the restaurant her father owned, still saw her family quite often. In Colorado, life had taken a turn in the Stephens household. Alma Ann Smith I miss her everyday and it will never stop, Deborah Lynn Bonner was 23 years old when she was last seen on July 25th, 1982. We received a letter from her in 1982 with a Seattle postmark but no return address. Try again later. Terry Renee Milligan Her body was found by two teenage boys riding their bikes across the bridge of the Green River, Wendy was under the Peck Bridge. Then, late in the afternoon on March 21, 1984, the King County Sheriffs Office got a call. Our investigation continued for decades. The thing that caught my eye was tennis shoes. Then on July 15, 1982, two boys discovered in the Green River the body of a 16-year-old, Wendy Lee Coffield, whod gone missing a week earlier. Colleen Brockman was only 15 years old when she disappeared. All Rights Reserved, Slender Man stabbing, Waukesha, Wisconsin, Update: Police Release Dead Serial Killers Account of Murder of Samantha Koenig. One week later her body . Tina Marie Thompson At some point during her young life Denise had a medical procedure involving her brain and her skull had a small hole in the bony process there. The officer immediately called for backup. You can always change this later in your Account settings. She wanted to be a dancer. Soon after, the two men left in the old pick-up truck and Ainsworth continued to float down the river. Rule, Ann (2005). During the search, a detective made another macabre discovery. Her brother, Terry, stated She still was a human being and she still had family that cared and loved her just like all the other ones had family that cared and loved them. She was only 17 at the time of her disappearance. and memories a lane, Though detectives didnt know it at the time, Ms. Coffields murder was the beginning of a long, nightmarish chapter for King County with Mr. Ridgway, then a nameless specter, at the center. The remainder of her clothing jeans, underpants and shirt were tightly tied around her neck like a ligature. Mary began going to group sessions at the Youth Eastside Services to get herself back on track. We last saw Sandra here in New York in 1982. It is reported that she, well aware of all the Green River Killer, was very cautious and began working in nicer neighborhoods to meet wealthy johns. She was last seen on August 29, 1982 near South 144th Street and Pacific Highway South. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, in the Seattle and Tacoma areas of Washington, fear walked alongside the night owls and hustlers as the bodies of numerous young women were found in or near the Green River in south King County. My heart still aches in sadness It was published on August 19th, 1982, just over a month after Wendy's remains were discovered. When Wendy was 11, they moved with Ms. Gaspars second husband, Alan Hodde (who died in 2010), to a suburb of Denver, a short walk from Wendys new school and the hospital where Ms. Gaspar worked as a nurse. By 1984, the number of dead or missing women . A vegan activist tried to ruin a chef's pub by posting fake one-star reviews on Tripadvisor despite having never visited the restaurant.. Joss Beechim-Horton runs the Manor House Inn in Callington . At the park, just off Des Moines Memorial Drive, detectives followed the man to a swampy area outside the diamond where they found the rest of the remains. Along with the circumstances of Wendy's young life, when the 15-year-old girl, desperate for love and safety, tragically encountered a remorseless serial . Ms. Gaspar struggled to resume life without Wendy. Some time before dark, she and her husband returned to their small town in southwest Colorado, just outside Mesa Verde National Park. At her funeral, her family played her favorite song, Love Begins with One Hello.. The murderer dubbed the Green River Killer was eventually identified as Gary Leon Ridgway, a boring little man of meager intelligence, whose presence was so painfully average and unremarkable he was able to lure, torture, and kill dozens of young women without anyone noticing or even suspecting him. Liked it? I was always afraid for her because she was that way.. Theclay reconstructions were done by National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) to assist us in identifying the women. Before long, a policeman arrived at the scene and questioned Ainsworth about his find. The next day, Ms. Gaspars parents and sister came to visit from Phoenix. Denise had traveled up to Seattle sometime in the fall of 1982 with her boyfriend. Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? And, most inexplicably, why? On July 15, 1982, two teenage boys, who live in nearby Kent, Washington, spot a body in the Green River floating against the Meeker Street Bridge. Not enough sleep. Failed to delete memorial. She learned to rely on Wendys friends as informants whod share tips on her whereabouts and reassure Ms. Gaspar that her daughter was safe. Before the year was over, Ridgeway went on to claim the lives of 15 women. Photos of the bridge and other related images. It was one of those conversations of, Yeah, Mom, I dont know why I do the things I do.. To this day, he doesn't like the sight of hair under water. Patricia Barczak Gary Ridgwaypled guilty to the homicides of the 49people listed below. Kelly Kay McGinnis was 18 years of age and was last seen on June 28, 1983 at South 216h Street and Pacific Highway South. On July 15th, 1982, Gallan Hirschi and his friend Robert spent the day riding their bikes. Immediately they noticed the presence of an unknown but closely related family member. Kelly Ware Women, many of them just girls, really, started disappearing in 1982. Never returned. Two boys riding their bicycles across a bridge spotted the tennis shoes first of fully clothed body. There was a problem getting your location. Debra Lynn Bonner The officer disbelievingly walked into the shallow river and reached out toward the ghostly form. When she was sexually assaulted by a man in September, 1982. In 2003, Mr. Ridgway agreed to a plea deal that would spare him the death penalty if he helped investigators find and identify the remaining victims. English According to this newspaper article in the Tacoma News Tribune, Coffield was partially clothed. Her body was found July 15, by two teenage boys riding their bikes across the bridge of the Green River, Wendy was under the Peck Bridge. This is where the two men found the body of Wendy Lee Coffield in 1982.Genetic genealogy helped identify the youngest know victim of one of the nation's most. The last time Kenneth saw his wife was sometime in 1982, when she dropped off their daughter for the last time. They remain missing today, and their cases remain uncharged. Ms. Gaspar described Wendys deep-set blue eyes and the first glimpses of a girl growing into a magnetic young woman. This flower has been reported and will not be visible while under review. November 5, 2003: Gary Leon Ridgway pled guilty to 48 counts of Aggravated Murder in the First Degree. Linda Rule There is little information readily available on 17 year old Delores Williams. But that may be at the request of her family. She left her family home though she called her parents often to check in became pregnant and miscarried twice and was experimenting with drugs, mostly marijuana and LSD. Delise Louise Plager Please complete the captcha to let us know you are a real person. Because the first victims were in or near the Green River, the killer became known as the Green River Killer. Their daughter was born later that year. To avoid the death penalty, Ridgway agreed to plead guilty to every murder he had committed in King County. She began to feel isolated and started running away from home when she was 14. She was the Princess. From the time she was born, my main job, always, was to look after Opal and keep her safe Garrett recalled Opal wanting to be rich one day so she can take care of their mother and buy her a large house, Even when she was seven, she struck me as someone who cared about others more than herself., Opal was a bright student who dreamed of being a model some day. 2. . According to her mother, Virginia, she had dropped out of school in junior high. Cynthia Jean Hinds The Forgotten Victims and Never-ending Myth of Ted Bundy, They Have Names, Too: A Case Study on the First Five Victims of the Green River Killer: Examining the Construction of Society and Its Creation of Victim Availability by Natalie V. Castillo, Victims families face Green River Killer in court, LANGUAGE MATTERS : TALKING ABOUT SEX WORK, Victims Spotlight: Remembering the Suspected Victims of the Green River Killer (Part 3), Green River Killer Graphic Novel to Become A Feature Film Staring Michael Sheen, Victims Spotlight: Remembering the Victims of the Green River Killer (Part 2), Green River Killer: A True Detective Story With More Heart Than Bite, My Friend Dahmer Is A Heart-Wrenchingly Accurate Portrait Of One Of Americas Most Infamous Serial Killers. Now, the detectives said they finally had answers: Wendy Stephens, 14, had been identified as the youngest victim of the serial murderer Gary Ridgway, the Green River Killer. Found more than one record for entered Email, You need to confirm this account before you can sign in. Wendy had run away from home 36 years prior, and Ms. Gaspar had long since stopped waiting for a call. GreenRiverKillings. Please enter your email and password to sign in. April Buttram Theclay reconstructions were done by National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) to assist us in identifying the women. They came by again while she was out. It would have been her second day on the job. On the night of April 10th, 1983, Gail and Curt spent most of their evening at the VIP Tavern, located a few blocks away from their motel. 3. If you have questions, please contact [emailprotected]. Delise Louise Plager We were aware of the lifestyle Sandra lived but she was still a part of our family. She also suffered bouts of epileptic seizures that were controlled with medication. Terri was 16 years old at the time of her disappearance. The police detectives at the scene quickly realized that there was a serial killer on the loose. We never thought that it would be permanent.. Top $76,000-a-year New Jersey boarding school admits 'more should have been done' to stop bullying of boy, 17, who took his own life after being falsely accused of rape by cruel peers Following an examination of the bodies at the scene, Chief Medical Examiner Donald Reay determined that all three girls died of strangulation. Andrea M. Childers Your email address will not be published. Soliciting sex made it possible to live a lifestyle of traveling and being able to purchase heroinWhile Dub would go to the streets looking for business, Carl would spend time lurking in the taverns in Tacoma., The couple lived out of various motels as they traveled up and down the West Coast working the circuit. Marcia told kids she was going to store, her mother said in the missing-person report. Opal Charmaine Mills Our investigation continued for decades. Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. But I wasn't going to let her go.". Please contact Find a Grave at [emailprotected] if you need help resetting your password. 4. Her last phone call had been to her brother on August 12th, 1982 asking for a ride. Marta Reeves This time she took quite a few things from the family home (all her clothes, her Christmas gifts, the familys stereo and some money) so, in the hopes that a warrant might assist in locating her sooner, Colleens father filed criminal charges against his daughter. In Denver, Ms. Gaspar looked frantically for Wendy, scouring the neighborhood by car and gathering intelligence from her daughters friends. She loved the band so much that she followed their concerts all over the country. Wendy Lee Coffield was 16 years of age and last seen on July 8, 1982 in the Tacoma, Washington area. The two just had lunch at a Chinese restaurant in Seattles International District. Wendy Lee Coffield You have chosen this person to be their own family member. Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager. The body of Wendy was recovered and the cause of death was determined to be murder by strangulation using the victim's own clothes. From the time Debra Estes was a small child she was considered a headstrong, wild girl who was almost impossible to rein in. Never returned. She was only 16 years old. Sandra K.Gabbert Though she only discussed these things with people she was very close with. 17 Apr 1966 - 8 Jul 1982 . No farewell words were spoken Are You A Horror Filmmaker? Before her disappearance, Wendy was, in her mother's words, a "magical kid." Born on Oct. 10, 1968, she was the only daughter of Ms. Gaspar and her then-husband, Charles Stephens (who died in 2014). April 2003: Ridgway was charged with three additional murders (Wendy Lee Coffield, Debra Lynn Bonner and Debra Estes). Within a month, four other bodies were found on the riverbank: Debra Lynn Bonner, Marcia Faye Chapman, Opal Charmaine Mills and Cynthia Jean Hinds. November2001: Gary Leon Ridgway was arrested and subsequently charged with the murders of Cynthia Jean Hinds, Marcia Faye Chapman, Opal Charmaine Mills and Carol Ann Christiansen. Use Escape keyboard button or the Close button to close the carousel. She kissed me, like always, and then she left. A native of southern California, Andrea moved to Seattle sometime in 1980 to live with her father and step mother. Within a half hour, he noticed a man with two children on bicycles. On on of her trips Gisele had become involved with a taxi driver known as Jak-Bak. By August of 1982 she was living in a motel with her boyfriend and was supporting the both of them as a sex worker. Marie was last seen on S216th and Pacific Highway South where her boyfriend/pimp witnessed Marie getting into a truck with a primer spot up by the tailgate. Ridgway's first confirmed victim was 16-year-old Wendy Lee Coffield who was living in foster care and working as a sex worker. In the fall of 2019, the King County Sheriffs Office contacted Colleen Fitzpatrick, a co-founder, along with Margaret Press, of the DNA Doe Project. This browser does not support getting your location. Moreover, six months prior to Coffield's discovery, the body of her friend Leanne Wilcox was found several miles from the river in an empty lot. People werent strangers to her. Colleen Renee Brockman Kimi-Kai whose name translated to golden sea at dawn in Hawaiian was described by her mother as an adventurous girl who loved unicorns and anything purple. In memory of all the lost and murdered young women who fell victim to the Green River Killer, with my profound regret that they never had the chance to make the new start so many of them hoped to achieve Ann Rule, author of Green River, Running Red. The police got a lead on her identity after they published photographs of her tattoos in local newspapers. Kent is a small city that is situated to the south of SeaTac. Green River, Running Red: The Real Story of the Green River Killer - America's Deadliest Serial Murderer, Pocket Star. She was just an immature teenager who was trying to find her way in life. They stopped on the bridge over the Green River to rest. Your account has been locked for 30 minutes due to too many failed sign in attempts. She was better educated than either of usShe had luminous eyes, a love of learning and ambitions beyond working the street for her boyfriend-pimp, says her family.. She had always been a brilliant student and had dreams of attending Yale to study computer science after graduating high school. The two stayed in a small apartment in Washington State. The sponsor of a memorial may add an additional. Coffield's body was badly decomposed. CLICK HERE FOR MORE! Two teenage boys were cycling across the Meeker Street Bridge in Kent, Washington, when they spotted something floating in the water. This newspaper clipping is from the Spokesman Review. All kinds of things go through your head, she said. Tracy Winston Typically she would return after just a few days. Were they actually dead? November2001: Gary Leon Ridgway was arrested and subsequently charged with the murders of Cynthia Jean Hinds, Marcia Faye Chapman, Opal Charmaine Mills and Carol Ann Christiansen. Photos larger than 8Mb will be reduced. On July 15th, 1982, two 15-year-old boys were cycling over the Meeker Street Bridge when they spotted a body floating in the water. Following her parents divorce in 1979, Wendys behavior only got worse with her mother describing her as, wild in a lot of ways but I dont think it was a harmful kind of wild. The sheer number of women he killed, and over such a long period of time, meant so many unknowns: There were women he confessed to killing whose bodies were found and identified, but what had they endured in their last hours? We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. The youngest of two daughters, Wendy was 12 when she and a friend ran away to a nearby truck stop, hoping to catch a ride. Correspondence concerning this report should be addressed to Alexandra M. Gonzlez Villanueva, . The girl had a pair of blue pants knotted around her neck. On July 15, 1982, the body of Wendy Lee Coffield was found in the Green River. The two separated soon after, but Ms. Gaspar, 17 at the time, said raising Wendy as a single, teenage mother was surprisingly easy. Andrea M. Childers Copyright 2022 WickedHorror.com - All Rights Reserved. Please take a look at the photographs below. Before her disappearance, Wendy was, in her mother's words, a "magical kid." Born on Oct. 10, 1968, she was the only daughter of Ms. Gaspar and her then-husband, Charles Stephens (who died in. Save to an Ancestry Tree, a virtual cemetery, your clipboard for pasting or Print. But those communities have long since dissolved. Investigators like Tom Jensen and Fae Brooks, who spent countless hours on their hands and knees, poring over lists of suspects, and brought heartbreaking news to the victims families, are hopeful that technology like forensic genealogy will continue that work. 18 year old Shirley Sherrill was once on the drill team and loved to dance. Remove advertising from a memorial by sponsoring it for just $5. Shed been very close to her grandmother. Learn about how to make the most of a memorial. Almost everyone that knew 18 year old Mary Meehan would describe her as outgoing and vibrant. (AP Photo/King County Sheriff's Department, ho), Investigators move the body of a woman found slain. Andrea Childers was only 19 the last time she saw her grandmother in 1983. Her life took a major detour when she became pregnant in middle school. Kelly Kay McGinnis was 18 years of age and was last seen on June 28, 1983 at South 216h Street and Pacific Highway South. Wendy Lee Coffield, 16, July 8, 1982, at state receiving home, Tacoma. Death certificate says she died of accidental drug and alcohol overdose, . A young black woman's face was floating just beneath the surface of the water, her body swaying beneath her with the current. Then, remarkably, DNA profiling arrived on the scene, revolutionizing criminal investigations and leading to the first breakthrough in the Green River Killer case in years. There is 1 volunteer for this cemetery. The medical examiner's office determined that she had been strangled. Over time, the combination of advancing technology, science, and determined investigative work advanced the case until an arrest was made in 2001. Oops, some error occurred while uploading your photo(s). Thesethree women are listed on the official Green River Homicides list. Gisele A. Lovvorn She had to see for herself. But then she met 27 year old Robert L. Martin, a known drug dealing pimp in the Tacoma area. Shawnda Leea Summers . Mary Bridgett Meehan After loosing her job at the at the Dairy Queen in South Tacoma and failing a test to join the Navy, Dub decided to work on getting her GED. Several days earlier, the body of a woman named Deborah Bonner was discovered. The following spring, a sample of Wendys remains was shipped to a forensics lab in Santa Cruz, Calif. Shed hug anyone. A former resident of Walla Walla, Washington, Alma dropped out of school at 17 and went back and forth between Seattle, where her father lived, and Walla Walla, where her mother resided. Marcia Faye Chapman Alma Ann Smith Kasee Ann Woods Lee Flowers have been left. Details of the Washington State County where the killer roamed unabated are revealed. Gail decided not to go, instead announcing she would go to work so that they can keep their motel room for a few more nights. By 12 she would often run away from home after fights with her parents. Cecile Gaspar wasnt home when the men first showed up. Dr. Taylor joined the team in 1996, and she too was frustrated and galvanized by Wendys case. Becky Marrero In early September, the Doe Project uploaded the DNA kit to the public genetics databases GEDMatch and later FamilyTreeDNA. Mary Sue Bello A California native, Gail moved to Washington in 1975 to live with friends. Theres a certain tie that mothers and daughters have, she said. The victim was Wendy Lee Coffield, a 16-year-old girl from Puyallup. Sandra K.Gabbert Wendy was 16 years old and last seen on July 8, 1982 in the Tacoma, Washington area. Photo filed Aug. 13, 1983. Seconds later he saw another floating corpse of a half nude black woman, partially submerged in the water. By mid-1983, King County investigators had found and identified eight victims, and a pattern: The killer was strangling young women sex workers or runaways many of whom were navigating the streets alone, after having escaped abuse or difficulties at home. They were young, mostly teenagers or in their early 20s. There were women he confessed to killing but whose bodies could not be found. A a registered member of the Blackfeet Tribe of Browning, Montana, Carol moved to Grays Harbor, Washington, in 1969. TM & 2015 Turner Entertainment Networks, Inc. A Time Warner Company. she wondered, as she searched for her face mask. To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer. She was a murder victim of Gary Leon Ridgway, known as "The Green River Killer" who was responsible for the murders of 49 women in Seattle, Washington, between 1982 and 1984. Were it not for a change in the databases opt-out policy that made Ms. Gaspars profile visible to everyone except for law enforcement investigators, they would have identified her immediately. In the summer of 1980, he was arrested on charges of choking a sex worker. At some point Gail began working as a sex worker. They struggled financially, often living in many low-income housing units and tents, and would pick blackberries in the fields during the summer in order to afford food.
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