Gary Ridgway, infamously known as the “Green River Killer,” who has confessed to the murder of up to 80 individuals, is reportedly receiving end-of-life care in a prison located in Washington state.
According to KIRO, five unnamed sources with purported knowledge of Ridgway’s health have indicated a decline in his condition, although no specific details were shared. Since his 2003 guilty plea for the murder of 49 women, the 76-year-old has been incarcerated at Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla.
However, the Washington Department of Corrections has challenged the report from KIRO, asserting that there has been no change in the serial killer’s medical status.
“These reports are inaccurate. Although we cannot disclose detailed medical information about those in custody, we can confirm that Gary Ridgway’s medical condition remains stable,” stated Rachel Ericson, the deputy communications director for the department, in a statement to KIRO.
Despite his guilty plea for 49 murders, Ridgway claimed in a 2013 interview with KIRO that his victim count ranged between 75 and 80. During the 1980s and 1990s, he preyed on young sex workers and runaways in the Seattle region, with their remains later found in wooded areas of King County.
In order to avoid a death sentence, Ridgway provided investigators with information about the locations of his victims’ bodies.
“My first kills, I didn’t know they were dead. 1982 was when I said I started killing. That’s when I knew 100% I killed. But I had several of them before that because I didn’t think they were dead,” he told KIRO — revealing that several of his kills happened are not on the “Green River list” because they occurred before 1982.
Court documents detailed how, in September 2024, Ridgway was released to help investigators locate more of his victims. The multi-day search turned up no new remains. A source told KIRO that there were inconsistencies in Ridgway’s claims, sparking speculation that it was his last-ditch effort to manipulate law enforcement.
“Some investigators believe he was making up new locations entirely as a sick boast,” the source commented.
This story is developing…
[Feature Photo: AP Photo/Elaine Thompson]
