According to Smith and Guillen's book, The Search for the Green River Killer, the man standing then asked Ainsworth if he found anything, to which Ainsworth replied, "Just this old singletree." Aug. 12, 1982 - Body of Debra Bonner, 23, found in Green River. A Portland native, Denise was an experienced and fairly cautious sex worker who often traveled to Seattle, where the money was better, to work. Coffield is believed to be the first victim of serial killer Gary Ridgway, who claimed the lives of at least 49 women between 1982 and 1998. 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. You have all the time to be a grown-up with all those problems. But she wanted to be an adult so bad.. Moments later he found himself surrounded by death. When 16 year old Linda left her motel room on the afternoon of September 26th, 1982, she appeared to be in a good mood. Around the country, Mr. Ridgways sentencing brought renewed attention to the investigation. One friend reported that Wendy was in Washington, but was unsure if it was Washington State or Washington, D.C. I was really afraid for her, Ms. Gaspar said, because she was so gregarious and because she had become so undependable. Gisele A. Lovvorn Way too much coffee. Anyone can read what you share. But I wasn't going to let her go.". Learn about how to make the most of a memorial. He stopped them, told them of his gruesome discovery and asked them to get the police. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account. You may not upload any more photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 20 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 5 photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 30 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 15 photos to this memorial. According to Gallan, the body was on the southern side of the bridge. 2. . Roberta Hays Led by a volunteer, Cairenn Binder, a team of five forensic genealogists began building out a family tree. Soon after, the two men left in the old pick-up truck and Ainsworth continued to float down the river. 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. . 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. Learn more about merges. Tracy Winston 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. Though convicted of killing 49 young women and girls, he has confessed to 71 murders, and some investigators believe the actual number is even higher. If you have questions, please contact [emailprotected]. Oops, something didn't work. Marta Reeves Please enter your email address and we will send you an email with a reset password code. Previously sponsored memorials or famous memorials will not have this option. Theclay reconstructions were done by National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) to assist us in identifying the women. Serial Killer House in SeaTac, Washington, United States, Crime Location in Burien, Washington, United States, Place of Interest in Seattle, Washington, United States, Place of Interest in Tacoma, Washington, United States, Crime Location in Tacoma, Washington, United States, Place of Interest Queens, New York, United States, Crime Location Brooklyn, New York, United States, Place of Interest Augusta, Georgia, United States, Filming Location Long Beach, California, United States. The guy that manages the Little League Baseball field in Burien said a dog just came home with a bone, recalled Detective Tom Jensen, who had joined the Green River Task Force just weeks prior. Marie Malvar Please reset your password. A system error has occurred. Patricia Yellowrobe Tom Estes yesterday acknowledged that charging Ridgway in his daughter's death was good news, but he declined further comment. Somebody reached out to Colleen and said, Id like to see what you can do with one of Ridgways unidentified victims, remembered Dr. Press, who asked if the victim had another name. Even her birthday appears to have been lost to time. Shed hug anyone. She had shown advanced signs of decomposition. The medical examiner's office determined that the young girl had been strangled to death and then thrown into the Green River, where she remained in the water for several days. In 1980 she married a man named Dennis Christensen. 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. April 2003: Ridgway was charged with three additional murders (Wendy Lee Coffield, Debra Lynn Bonner and Debra Estes). 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. Shed drive around looking for Wendy, once even tracking her footsteps through the snow. Andrea M. Childers 3 Unidentified victims. 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. But what Ms. Gaspar remembered most is the time they spent outside, some of her fondest memories with her daughter. They were young, mostly teenagers or in their early 20s. The police got a lead on her identity after they published photographs of her tattoos in local newspapers. Toys, Gifts, Collectibles, Board Games & Horror Lifestyle Items. She eagerly agreed to testify in court when she was last seen by detectives on September 20th. I thought of putting her on a milk carton. She kept her home phone number listed, just in case Wendy ever came looking. Sandra D. Major Terri adored her baby boy but she dropped out of school and never had the chance to go back. His first victim is believed to be 16 year old Wendy Lee Coffield. The discovery of the body behind a meat packing plant was the first. By the time this article was published, the bodies of four more sex workers had turned up in the Green River. 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. November 5, 2003: Gary Leon Ridgway pled guilty to 48 counts of Aggravated Murder in the First Degree. 3. Unlike the other two girls, this one was found in a grassy area less than 30 feet from where the other victims lay in the water. She often went speed walking with her mother and was incredibly close with her big brother, Garrett, who took his job as Opals protector very seriously. Quickly, Ainsworth swam toward the riverbank where the truck stood earlier. The Search for the Green River Killer by Smith and Guillen. At the time of her death, the 16-year-old was reportedly living in a foster home. Colleen Brockman was only 15 years old when she disappeared. Marta Reeves The two separated soon after, but Ms. Gaspar, 17 at the time, said raising Wendy as a single, teenage mother was surprisingly easy. Wendy was 16 years old and last seen on July 8, 1982 in the Tacoma, Washington area. The inset photograph in the top right-hand corner shows the police removing her body from the river. She was just another kid that ran away that they didnt care about, she said. She was last seen on August 29, 1982 near South 144th Street and Pacific Highway South. Terry Renee Milligan DNA analysis, however, didnt turn out to be the solution investigators had hoped. Thus began one of the longest and largest serial murder investigations in United States history. This is the first of 49 bodies found of suspected victims of a serial killer. (Seattle: The Seattle Times, 1989), 128. Shawnda Leea Summers The youngest child of an upper middle class family with an IQ of 145, Gisele did well in school and was an avid reader; her favorite book was Colleen McCulloughs The Thornbirds. During his confession, Ridgway stated that he picked the young girl up on a highway. Mary Exzetta West Please enter your email and password to sign in. Within a month, fourother bodies were found on the riverbank:Debra Lynn Bonner, Marcia Faye Chapman, Opal Charmaine Mills and Cynthia Jean Hinds. As manager of this memorial you can add or update the memorial using the Edit button below. Gail Matthews It is impossible to put into words how much her murder has devastated and destroyed my family. She was just an immature teenager who was trying to find her way in life. A few days later, a tattoo artist came forward to say that he recognized them. 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. This browser does not support getting your location. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. Her body was found by two teenage boys riding their bikes across the bridge of the Green River, Wendy was under the Peck Bridge. Wendy was 16 years old and last seen on July 8, 1982 in the Tacoma, Washington area. Green River, Running Red: The Real Story of the Green River Killer - America's Deadliest Serial Murderer, Pocket Star. 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. 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. 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? Wendy Stephens, formally known as Jane Doe B-10 or Bones 10, was Gary Ridgways youngest known victim and was only recently identified in January of 2021. On July 15, 1982, the body of Wendy Lee Coffield was found in the Green River. My mind had gone in a lot of different directions, she said. Revised December 2, 2001, The Free Encyclopedia of Washington State History. Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. You have chosen this person to be their own family member. Apply Now. From the time Debra Estes was a small child she was considered a headstrong, wild girl who was almost impossible to rein in. Details of the Washington State County where the killer roamed unabated are revealed. Kimberly Nelson The email does not appear to be a valid email address. Ridgeway was charged with the murder of Wendy in April of 2003. She was the first victim found.. Officials remove the body of 16-year-old Wendy Lee Coffield from the Green River on July 15, 1982. It lies 260 yards east of Kent Des Moines Road. So grief, Ms. Gaspar said, is lonely. Becoming a Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE. Your email address will not be published. April Buttram Green River Killer Gary Ridgway: Photos from the archives. Alma Ann Smith Try again later. But she caught a glimpse of the visitors through her doorbell camera and, noticing their tucked-in shirts, she shrugged them off as Mormon missionaries. Things were finally looking up. We last saw Sandra here in New York in 1982. Debra Lynn Bonner, 23, July 25, 1982, last seen south of Sea-Tac Airport. This memorial has been copied to your clipboard. Not a whiner. She recalled sitting with a young Wendy in her high chair and teaching her to enunciate new words. Join the Wicked Horror Staff. Marcia Chapman and Cynthia Hinds, victims of the Green River Killer. 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. On Aug. 12, 1982, detectives found Debbie Bonner, 23, in the Green River. She was only 17 at the time of her disappearance. She was last seen on October 18th by a close friend. On July 15, 1982, the body of Wendy Lee Coffield was found in the Green River. We received a letter from her in 1982 with a Seattle postmark but no return address. April 2003: Ridgway was charged with three additional murders (Wendy Lee Coffield, Debra Lynn Bonner and Debra Estes). Colleen Renee Brockman At one stage, they lived in a tent and attempted to make money by selling blackberries that they had foraged. and bring you home again. And there had to be somebody missing her.. Two teenage boys were cycling across the Meeker Street Bridge in Kent, Washington, when they spotted something floating in the water. There is also very little information available on Shawnda Summers. Please take a look at the photographs below. April Buttram Alma Ann Smith Theres a certain tie that mothers and daughters have, she said. Our investigation continued for decades. In shock, he sat down and waited for help to arrive. Wendy adjusted quickly to her new junior high, falling easily into a group of friends. She was so young and died before she ever really got to live, she said. Does Your Horror Feature or Short Need Worldwide Distribution? Her life took a major detour when she became pregnant in middle school. Use Escape keyboard button or the Close button to close the carousel. Thus began one of the longest and largest serial murder investigations in United States history. Throughout the 1980s and 90s, Mr. Ridgway, one of Americas most devastating serial killers, terrorized King County, Wash. People would ask me, Do you have children? she said. On Aug 15, 1982, Robert Ainsworth, who was on a routine trip down the river, which he took many times, saw something in the water. She was only 15 and pregnant. SEATTLE (AP) _ In the three years since 16-year-old Wendy Lee Coffield was strangled and dumped in the Green River, her killer has slain as many as 42 other young women and eluded a multimillion-dollar police dragnet. Denise Darcel Bush 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. A California native, Gail moved to Washington in 1975 to live with friends. Thesethree women are listed on the official Green River Homicides list. When I got that notification, that this was it, that this was Wendy, I cant even tell you, Dr. Taylor said. Anthony McNabb, got right to the point: Theyd come with news about Ms. Gaspars daughter, Wendy. Our outings would be in the mountains, she said. Wendy had run away from home 36 years prior, and Ms. Gaspar had long since stopped waiting for a call. Try again later. Share this memorial using social media sites or email. Patricia Yellowrobe They stopped on the bridge over the Green River to rest. The two girls found in the water, later identified as Marcia Chapman, 31, and Cynthia Hinds, 17, were both found to have pyramid-shaped rocks lodged in their vaginal cavities. The victim was Wendy Lee Coffield, a 16-year-old girl from Puyallup. The youngest of three children, Deborah- who typically went by the nickname Dub- grew up in an impoverished environment. The identity of Wendy Marie Stephens was one of those unknowns. After months of silence from the local police, Ms. Gaspar had begun to doubt if anyone was actually looking for her daughter. Robert Williams last saw his daughter alive on August 10th, 1982, during one of her shifts at a South Seattle barbecue restaurant. There were women he confessed to killing but whose bodies could not be found. This will never put an end or closure on her death or murder. Wendy Lee Coffield Women, many of them just girls, really, started disappearing in 1982. 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. I didnt know what to make of any of it.. According to her mother, Virginia, she had dropped out of school in junior high. After taking a closer look, they realized that it was a dead body. 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. Mary was almost eight months pregnant when she went missing near the Western Six Motel on September 15th, 1983. Our investigation continued for decades. The medical examiner's office determined that she had been strangled. With sparse evidence, her murder remained unsolved. She was walking towards the Kmart where she planned to shop for clothes. Gary Ridgwaypled guilty to the homicides of the 49people listed below. The bar where Ted Bundy abducted Brenda Carol Ball, The street where cop killer Maurice Clemmons was shot dead, The house that 8-year-old Ann Marie Burr was abducted from, The location where mobster Robert DiBernardo was murdered, The location where Dannette and Jeannette Millbrook were last seen, The house from Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986). She was born in June of 1965. After years of inactivity, detectives hoped to finally put names to the remaining unidentified bones. She dropped out of middle school, left her family home by 14 and was an occasional drug user (marijuana and Ritalin) who turned to sex work to financially support herself. Mary began going to group sessions at the Youth Eastside Services to get herself back on track. Shortly after they got home, the bell rang a third time. Rule, Ann (2005). Rivers In Time ProjectKing CountySeattle Public UtilitiesSeattle City Light, Wendy Coffield's body being pulled out of the Green River, 1982, Green River, Meeker Street Bridge, Kent, April 15, 2009, Green River Murder Victim Identified;P Probe Inches Along The Seattle Times, August 18, 1982, p. A13; Carlton Smith, Wendy Juvenile in Jeopardy. Call (collect if necessary): 206-263-2130, Call between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. to arrange to speak with a detective. Within a month, four other bodies were found on the riverbank: Debra Lynn Bonner, Marcia Faye Chapman, Opal Charmaine Mills and Cynthia Jean Hinds. 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. Never returned. Linda Rule known to her family as Janie had a background all too familiar among Green River victims. no one will ever know. If you notice a problem with the translation, please send a message to [emailprotected] and include a link to the page and details about the problem. Ridgway targeted the desperate and the vulnerable, primarily sex workers or runaways, because he thought nobody would notice their absences and because he hated them, later stating in interviews that he wanted to kill as many prostitutes as possible. But he would occasionally venture away from his M.O. The medical examiner's office determined that the young girl had been strangled to death and then thrown into the Green River, where she remained in the water for several days. The remainder of her clothing jeans, underpants and shirt were tightly tied around her neck like a ligature. She was wearing a beautiful dress and a long gray coat. After falling in with the wrong friends Dub dropped out of high school, began abusing alcohol and fought with her parents. You may request to transfer up to 250,000 memorials managed by Find a Grave. A timeline of the Green River killings, and the arrest and prosecution of Gary Leon Ridgway: July 15, 1982: Body of Wendy Lee Coffield, 16, Puyallup, found in the Green River south of Seattle. Police investigated and later identified this young woman as Wendy Lee Coffield. We never heard from her again and did not know what happened to herWe respectfully ask that the media allow us privacy.. The bridge is close to Riverfront Park. In early 2019, one of Stephens parents had taken a DNA test and uploaded the results to GEDmatch, hoping to learn the fate of their daughter. You are nearing the transfer limit for memorials managed by Find a Grave. On July 15, 1982, the body of Wendy Lee Coffield was found in the Green River. They were somebodys sister, somebodys mother, in some instances. As is the case for many young women, Wendy Lee Coffield began acting out pretty much the moment she hit puberty. Back then, there werent amber alerts or social media search pages. Gail Matthews And that was over and over again. At Ridgways trial, her sister Michelle gave this moving speech about her sister: Gisele was very much loved by her family and has been missed very much every day for the last 20 years. Today, the remains of two women are still unidentified, and others are suspected but unconfirmed victims. It was going to get much, much higher. The following spring, a sample of Wendys remains was shipped to a forensics lab in Santa Cruz, Calif. She was outgoing, trusting and loved to dance. Within a month, four other bodies were found on the riverbank: Debra Lynn Bonner, Marcia Faye Chapman, Opal Charmaine Mills and Cynthia Jean Hinds. Take a second to support Fallon Gannon on Patreon! She was one of those people you meet that would be like, Thats too much information!. Denise Darcel Bush Victims Spotlight: Remembering the Victims of the Green River Killer, She was described as cheerful, outgoing and someone who could take care of herself. 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. We're looking for the current whereabouts of these women, or their true names, or names of associates and relatives and when these women were seen last. California native Gisele Lovvorn had, by all accounts, a normal and happy childhood. I'd walk right up to Heaven 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. Flowers added to the memorial appear on the bottom of the memorial or here on the Flowers tab. By 1984, the number of dead or missing women reached 49, becoming the nations largest unsolved serial-murder case. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); If tears could build a stairway, She also showed signs of a struggle, because she had bruises on her arms and legs. Required fields are marked *. Cheryl Lee Wims Family members linked to this person will appear here. However, after wading out to take a closer look, they saw human hair and a jacket. Reach 250,000+ A Month on Display, Mobile, OTT VOD Apps and Video. Dub seemed to have a good relationship with her parents but things were tense by July of 1982. Gisele Ann Lovvorn, 17, July 17, 1982, near Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Call (collect if necessary): 206-263-2130, Call between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. to arrange to speak with a detective. It is doubtful that her family knew what she was doing for money. 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.
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