November 5, 2003: Gary Leon Ridgway pled guilty to 48 counts of Aggravated Murder in the First Degree. She was planning to do a painting job with her friendCynthia Hinds. Shawnda was last seen along Pacific Highway South near S144th. When her husband answered the door, the two men introduced themselves as detectives from the King County Sheriffs Office in Seattle and asked to speak with Ms. Gaspar. According to her mother, Virginia, she had dropped out of school in junior high. This link united both sides of Wendys family, cementing her parentage. By August 15, 1982, a total of five bodies had been found on or along the Green River. Photo filed July 11, 1983. She was outgoing, trusting and loved to dance. Just a month earlier, another young girl, identified as Wendy Lee Coffield, was found strangled and floating in the Green River. Her mother described Wendy as a chronic runaway, someone who was running away from unhappiness or seeking excitement. This memorial has been copied to your clipboard. Two boys found her body seven days later in the Green River. Moments later he found himself surrounded by death. Below, you will find the address and the GPS coordinates for this location. A number of sources refer to the bridge as "Peck Bridge". Wendy Coffield, victim of the Green River Killer. on Pacific Highway South before taking her to the ball field, where he strangled her and left her body. Join the Wicked Horror Staff. Patricia Barczak 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. She would leave in the winter without a coat., Ms. Gaspars sister, Judy Dove, remembered hearing about the change in Wendy, but never thought her disappearances were more than a phase. Denise Darcel Bush I badgered them a few times. Alma Ann Smith 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. You will receive a link to create a new password via email. They remain missing today, and their cases remain uncharged. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); If tears could build a stairway, Andrea M. Childers You are nearing the transfer limit for memorials managed by Find a Grave. When 16 year old Linda left her motel room on the afternoon of September 26th, 1982, she appeared to be in a good mood. Maureen Sue Feeney Shawnda Leea Summers Previously sponsored memorials or famous memorials will not have this option. 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. She was born in June of 1965. Its something that only you can experience within yourself., In early 2021, Ms. Gaspar received Wendys ashes, which she scattered near her home in Colorado. The wondering became an obsession. Terry Renee Milligan You are only allowed to leave one flower per day for any given memorial. But he denied knowledge of the murders, and the police lacked further evidence to proceed. Tina Marie Thompson Several days earlier, the body of a woman named Deborah Bonner was discovered. 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. 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 around 2 p.m. on February 6th, 1983 at Rainier Avenue South and South Ferdinand Street at a bus stop outside the Red Lion Hotel. Just days later, they discovered three more victims in or near the river: Cynthia Hinds, 17; Opal Mills, 16; and Marcia Chapman, 31. She was found on August 12, 1982, and her death was almost immediately linked to the deaths of two other area sex workers, Wendy Coffield and Leann Wilcox. She grew increasingly isolated and withdrawn. As manager of this memorial you can add or update the memorial using the Edit button below. Rule, Ann (2005). There is also very little information available on Shawnda Summers. All kinds of things go through your head, she said. Good mother., Like Wendy and Dub, 17 year old Cynthia Hinds dropped out of high school after falling in with the wrong crowd. TM & 2015 Turner Entertainment Networks, Inc. A Time Warner Company. Never has done anything like this. 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. She was one of those people you meet that would be like, Thats too much information!. This browser does not support getting your location. They were somebodys daughter, said Detective Fae Brooks, who worked with Mr. Reichert on the Green River Task Force, formed to investigate the murders, and is herself a survivor of childhood sexual assault. Accidentally, the raft overturned as he tried to dislodge the figure from a rock and Ainsworth fell into the river. You have all the time to be a grown-up with all those problems. But she wanted to be an adult so bad.. The medical examiner's office determined that she had been strangled. Law enforcement officials did not always treat chronic runaways as potential victims, which could delay initial search efforts. Terri adored her baby boy but she dropped out of school and never had the chance to go back. Becoming a Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE. Thank you for fulfilling this photo request. Patricia Yellowrobe And, most inexplicably, why? Close this window, and upload the photo(s) again. Shed open the paper to read about the latest victim count and wonder: Who can do this and not get caught? Her family described her as a loving and caring person. 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. In Colorado, life had taken a turn in the Stephens household. The next day, more bones were discovered nearby; both were soon confirmed to be victims of the Green River Killer. 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. It is impossible to put into words how much her murder has devastated and destroyed my family. They got Wendys dental records and a full DNA profile, which they entered into CODIS, the F.B.I.s DNA database. Within a month, fourother bodies were found on the riverbank:Debra Lynn Bonner, Marcia Faye Chapman, Opal Charmaine Mills and Cynthia Jean Hinds. July 15, 1982: Body of Wendy Lee Coffield, 16, Puyallup, found in the Green River south of Seattle. 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. Kimi Kai Pitsor (Photo by Kurt Smith, copyright MOHAI, Seattle Post-Intelligencer Collection, 2000.107), Members of an Explorer Search & Rescue unit comb a field north of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. When she became pregnant for a third time, Mary decided to give the baby boy up for adoption, though she regretted it soon after. Within a month, four other bodies were found on the riverbank: Debra Lynn Bonner, Marcia Faye Chapman, Opal Charmaine Mills and Cynthia Jean Hinds. After taking a closer look, they realized that it was a dead body. Try again later. They shared a couple of beers and played Pac Man. Does Your Horror Feature or Short Need Worldwide Distribution? Stigma complicated matters, according to Dr. Taylor. There was such a high volume of victims, she said in an interview before her death. 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. In April of 2003, Ridgway was accused of murdering Wendy Lee Coffield, Debra Lynn Bonner, and Debra Estes. She loved everybody. Her reason for doing so was never disclosed. There are no volunteers for this cemetery. 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. Despite Sandra turning to sex work to support them, they were barely able to afford motel rooms and fast food. This will never put an end or closure on her death or murder. But some unknowns persist. Everybody was a potential friend, she said. Free Horror Movies Watch 600+ Horror Movies! Wendy adjusted quickly to her new junior high, falling easily into a group of friends. Before the year was over, Ridgeway went on to claim the lives of 15 women. Her life took a major detour when she became pregnant in middle school. They were young, mostly teenagers or in their early 20s. Debra Lynn Bonner I had no idea what we were getting into with her talking all the time, she said, laughing. Green River Killer Gary Ridgway: Photos from the archives. There were women he confessed to killing but whose bodies could not be found. According to the police, she had a history of prostitution. Tracy Winston Failed to delete memorial. Take a second to support Fallon Gannon on Patreon! Women, many of them just girls, really, started disappearing in 1982. The extracted DNA sample went through several rounds of sequencing and bioinformatic cleanup. 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. She reportedly dropped out of school because she was bored and was living with her boyfriend out of various motels. Back then, there werent amber alerts or social media search pages. At her funeral, her family played her favorite song, Love Begins with One Hello.. It lies 260 yards east of Kent Des Moines Road. Reay further determined that Chapman, a mother of two who had gone missing two weeks earlier, had been dead for over a week. Roberta Hays After dropping out of Junior High she enrolled in Kent Continuation School to catch up. To add a flower, click the Leave a Flower button. The girl had a pair of blue pants knotted around her neck. Ridgway was arrested Nov. 30, 2001 for investigation of. In the summer of 1980, he was arrested on charges of choking a sex worker. Sandra D. Major no one will ever know. Ridgway was eventually captured and convicted of his 49 confirmed victims, but he would later go on to confess to upwards of 80 murders. Her reason for doing so was never disclosed. April Buttram The body is later identified as Wendy Lee Coffield, who was 16 years old. For years the Green River Killer case will have the largest number of unsolved murders attributed to one individual in the history of the United States. Save to an Ancestry Tree, a virtual cemetery, your clipboard for pasting or Print. Lisa L. Yates Thus began one of the longest and largest serial murder investigations in United States history. Shirley Marie Sherrill In early September, the Doe Project uploaded the DNA kit to the public genetics databases GEDMatch and later FamilyTreeDNA. 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. 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. Over the next several months, at least 10 more women went missing from the Seattle area. Your account has been locked for 30 minutes due to too many failed sign in attempts. The two stayed in a small apartment in Washington State. She was stunned. Sandra D. Major Required fields are marked *. Opal Mills, victim of the Green River Killer. She became argumentative and stubborn, distancing herself without explanation. However she was an incredibly talented artist who began to rebel in middle school. For more information, please read our Privacy & Cookie Policy. Apply Now. It was published on August 19th, 1982, just over a month after Wendy's remains were discovered. I didnt know what to make of any of it.. Good mother., An Ideal Host Throws A Horror Comedy Party Worth Crashing [Chattanooga Film Festival 2021 Review], Black Medusa Is A Bleak, Beautiful Vision Of Vengeance [Chattanooga Film Festival 2021 Review].

Jogging For 15 Minutes Is How Many Miles, Writing Task 2 Positive Or Negative Development, Michael Scott Ryan Writer, Agfc Trout Stocking Schedule 2021, Zuri Kye Edwards Net Worth, Articles W