Her mother described Wendy as a chronic runaway, someone who was running away from unhappiness or seeking excitement. Shed open the paper to read about the latest victim count and wonder: Who can do this and not get caught? Despite Sandra turning to sex work to support them, they were barely able to afford motel rooms and fast food. Carol Ann Christensen 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. Shed been active in her church too. Not a whiner. She recalled sitting with a young Wendy in her high chair and teaching her to enunciate new words. Denise had traveled up to Seattle sometime in the fall of 1982 with her boyfriend. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. 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. 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. By 1982 Mary had been through quite a lot. And how did they know her name? Tracy Winston Are you sure that you want to report this flower to administrators as offensive or abusive? Sandra was last seen alive on April 17th of 1983 on Pacific Highway South near South 142nd Street. As she moved into her early teens, her mother was struck and at times, frightened by her beauty and free spirit. Led by a volunteer, Cairenn Binder, a team of five forensic genealogists began building out a family tree. 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]. 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. Photos of the bridge and other related images. Tracy Winston The body is later identified as Wendy Lee Coffield, who was 16 years old. After dropping out of Junior High she enrolled in Kent Continuation School to catch up. We never thought that it would be permanent.. Soon after, the two men left in the old pick-up truck and Ainsworth continued to float down the river. Kelly Ware She was only 16 years old. and only God knows why. Toys, Gifts, Collectibles, Board Games & Horror Lifestyle Items. Body found in Green River July 15, 1982, near Kent. It was going to get much, much higher. Wendy went to live with her mother, Virginia Coffield. By August of 1982 she was living in a motel with her boyfriend and was supporting the both of them as a sex worker. Thanks for your help! It is doubtful that her family knew what she was doing for money. Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? Maureen Sue Feeney Marcia told kids she was going to store, her mother said in the missing-person report. This time she was determined to turn things around by keeping this child and getting her GED. Shed do anything for anybody., Unfortunately there is little known about Marcia Chapmans early life. They then drove out to his "usual spot", where they had sex in his truck. Mary Bridgett Meehan Close this window, and upload the photo(s) again. 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. Today, the remains of two women are still unidentified, and others are suspected but unconfirmed victims. (Seattle: The Seattle Times, 1989), 128. For more information, please read our Privacy & Cookie Policy. Once in a great while, we get a hint that theres somebody there, Dr. Press said. what it meant to lose you, Wendy was 16 years old and last seen on July 8, 1982 in the Tacoma, Washington area. Just a month earlier, another young girl, identified as Wendy Lee Coffield, was found strangled and floating in the Green River. 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. 3 Unidentified victims. Wendy was 16 years old and last seen on July 8, 1982 in the Tacoma, Washington area. Debra Lynn Bonner 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. It was just really strange.. We never heard from her again and did not know what happened to herWe respectfully ask that the media allow us privacy.. She was last seen on the Sea-Tac Strip on July 17th, 1982. This newspaper clipping is from the Spokesman Review. She became argumentative and stubborn, distancing herself without explanation. Women, many of them just girls, really, started disappearing in 1982. Please complete the captcha to let us know you are a real person. Within a month, four other bodies were found on the riverbank: Debra Lynn Bonner, Marcia Faye Chapman, Opal Charmaine Mills and Cynthia Jean Hinds. He agreed to provide complete, truthful and candid information concerning the crimes that he had committed in King County and answer all questions during interviews conducted by the detectives or the prosecuting attorney. By 1982 Becky was 20 and was supporting herself as a sex worker. Aug . According to the police, she had a history of prostitution. Around the country, Mr. Ridgways sentencing brought renewed attention to the investigation. Gisele A. Lovvorn The following spring, a sample of Wendys remains was shipped to a forensics lab in Santa Cruz, Calif. Try again later. Believing it might be a mannequin, Ainsworth attempted to snag the figure with a pole. 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. 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. Some of them had histories of prostitution, and many were last seen along Pacific Highway South near Sea-Tac airport. At some unknown point she turned to sex work and, shortly before her disappearance, she became a resident of the Echo Glen Childrens Center, which helps girls involved in prostitution to break the cycle and get out of that lifestyle. Gary Ridgwaypled guilty to the homicides of the 49people listed below. We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. They were human beings., That summer, Wendy Stephens disappeared for the better part of a month. And what of the countless women who had just disappeared in those years, whose families would always wonder whether their daughters ended up in Mr. Ridgways truck? 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. 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. After years of inactivity, detectives hoped to finally put names to the remaining unidentified bones. You are nearing the transfer limit for memorials managed by Find a Grave. Wendy Coffield, victim of the Green River Killer. On July 15, 1982, the body of Wendy Lee Coffield was found in the Green River. (AP Photo/King County Sheriff's Department, ho), Investigators move the body of a woman found slain. Anyone can read what you share. He claimed self-defense and was released, the charges dropped. 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. Thesethree women are listed on the official Green River Homicides list. Just days later, they discovered three more victims in or near the river: Cynthia Hinds, 17; Opal Mills, 16; and Marcia Chapman, 31. We thought: This is great. You need a Find a Grave account to continue. Try again later. she wondered, as she searched for her face mask. If you call after hours, please leave voice mail so we can get back in touch with you. Because the first victims were in or near the Green River, the killer became known as the Green River Killer. This is the first of 49 bodies found of suspected victims of a serial killer. Law enforcement officials did not always treat chronic runaways as potential victims, which could delay initial search efforts. Continuing with this request will add an alert to the cemetery page and any new volunteers will have the opportunity to fulfill your request. There are no volunteers for this cemetery. Wendy adjusted quickly to her new junior high, falling easily into a group of friends. Their daughter was born later that year. Most of these and subsequent victims had a history of prostitution and of run-ins with the law. Patricia Barczak All photos appear on this tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on memorials you manage. Reach 250,000+ A Month on Display, Mobile, OTT VOD Apps and Video. Way too much coffee. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate, or jump to a slide with the slide dots. Everett, Snohomish County, Washington, USA . 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. But he denied knowledge of the murders, and the police lacked further evidence to proceed. She was last seen on October 18th by a close friend. Until investigators knocked on her door, she had no idea what had happened. Denise Darcel Bush 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. She was stunned. After months of silence from the local police, Ms. Gaspar had begun to doubt if anyone was actually looking for her daughter. She remembered the presiding fear. A few months later, in November of 2001, Mr. Ridgway was arrested when DNA found on three victims was linked to hair and saliva samples obtained from him almost two decades prior. As the winter of 1982-83 wore on, Ms. Gaspar did her best to keep track of her daughter. The house, a two-bedroom with white-painted brick and mahogany trim, had an enclosed back porch and dining room where theyd sit around the table playing Yahtzee. We received a letter from her in 1982 with a Seattle postmark but no return address. Found September 25, 1982, south of airport. All photos uploaded successfully, click on the Done button to see the photos in the gallery. Never has done anything like this. Ridgway was eventually captured and convicted of his 49 confirmed victims, but he would later go on to confess to upwards of 80 murders. Marta Reeves On July 15, 1982, two teenage boys discovered the body of Wendy Lee Coffield, age 16, floating the Green River between Kent and Tukwila. Gary Ridgway, pictured as a sophomore at Tyee High School. 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. Drag images here or select from your computer for Wendy Lee Coffield memorial. She had run away a few times before when she was living with her father and brother near the Lake Washington Ship Canal in north Seattle. However, please be aware that not allowing certain cookies may impact your experience of the site. June 2003:In exchange for the prosecutor not seeking the death penalty, Ridgway agreed to plead guilty to all murders that he committed in King County. Colleen Renee Brockman When she was sexually assaulted by a man in September, 1982. 2. . Wendy, was only 14 when she ran away from her home in Denver, Colorado, in 1983. Coffield was strangled to death with her own pants and dumped in the water. Roberta Hays 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. There was an error deleting this problem. Cheryl Lee Wims Kimberly Nelson The last time her mother, Nancy McIntyre, saw Sandra was when they met for lunch at a Mexican restaurant where Sandra talked all about her upcoming trip to San Francisco and Hollywood. By 1982 Gail was living on welfare, moving from one friends house to the next and trying to see her daughter as much as possible. To use this feature, use a newer browser. They shared a couple of beers and played Pac Man. You have all the time to be a grown-up with all those problems. But she wanted to be an adult so bad.. By August 15, 1982, a total of five bodies had been found on or along the Green River. According to this newspaper article in the Tacoma News Tribune, Coffield was partially clothed. Pammy Avent Family members linked to this person will appear here. Mary Bridgett Meehan She was remembered by friends as an extremely generous girl who didnt have a malicious bone in her body. She was last seen on March 3rd, 1983, on Pacific Highway South. Its not anything that were privy to in our small but tangible realm. Aug. 12, 1982 - Body of Debra Bonner, 23, found in Green River. This relationship is not possible based on lifespan dates. Debbie was young, capricious, had many friends who adored her and she loved horses. 49 young women with their own hopes, dreams and goals, sniffed out far too soon all because some monster dubbed them disposable for their high risk lifestyles. Rather than give any more attention to Ridgway (and his seemingly endless slew of mommy issues), lets flip the script and shine the spotlight on the lives he stole, focusing on how they lived rather than how they died. To add a flower, click the Leave a Flower button. "I'm saying, stop moving and I'll let you go. They were both held down by rocks in the water. She was everybodys dream of a kid, she said. 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. Please take a look at the photographs below. Debra Lynn Bonner was 23 years of age. 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. It lies 260 yards east of Kent Des Moines Road. She reportedly dropped out of school because she was bored and was living with her boyfriend out of various motels. (Copyright MOHAI, Seattle Post-Intelligencer Collection, 2000.107), Gary Leon Ridgway, pictured in a 1982 King County Sheriff's booking mug. Death certificate says she died of accidental drug and alcohol overdose, . Hair styles are only a best guess. The Shadow Girls begins with the GRK's very first found victim, Wendy Lee Coffield in July of 1982. or don't show this againI am good at figuring things out. 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. Thesethree women are listed on the official Green River Homicides list. They took a report, filed it. On August 15, 1982, Robert Ainsworth, 41, stepped into his rubber raft and began his descent south down the Green River toward the outer edge of Seattle's city limits. On November 30, 2001, a suspect, Gary Leon Ridgway, 52, a longtime resident of the area, will be arrested. He was a truck painter raised near SeaTac, and a Tyee High School graduate. We talked while she was there, Ms. Gaspar recalled. Debbie May Abernathy To his horror, he realized that the figure was not a mannequin, but a dead woman. 18 year old Shirley Sherrill was once on the drill team and loved to dance. Colleen was last seen alive on December 28th, 1982. AP Gary Leon Ridgway is seen in this 1982 King County Sheriff's booking mugshot, left, and an undated King County Sheriff's booking mugshot. Are you sure that you want to delete this photo? June 2003:In exchange for the prosecutor not seeking the death penalty, Ridgway agreed to plead guilty to all murders that he committed in King County. Are you adding a grave photo that will fulfill this request? By 12 she would often run away from home after fights with her parents. She worried that her daughter, only 14 years old, had been kidnapped, or worse. Delores Lavern Williams She was only 17 at the time of her disappearance. On August 2nd, 1982, Marcias mother reported her missing. The girl had a pair of blue pants knotted around her neck. The body was that of Wendy Lee Coffield, a dropout and runaway. The arrested suspect, Gary Leon Ridgway, was a longtime resident of the area. 3. Ridgway was also expected to "provide complete, truthful and candid information concerning the crimes he had committed in King County." Thus began one of the longest and largest serial murder investigations in United States history. Terri was 16 years old at the time of her disappearance. 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. That spring, Mr. Ridgway became a suspect in the Green River case when a tip led detectives to his door. Cynthia Jean Hinds Because she was reported missing on July 8th, 1982, it is likely that she had been dead for at least a week. Sandra K.Gabbert 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. No farewell words were spoken Dr. Kathy Taylor, who worked the case as a forensic anthropologist and died last year, was a teenager at the time of Wendys disappearance. The sponsor of a memorial may add an additional. Learn about how to make the most of a memorial. The discovery of the body behind a meat packing plant was the first. This is a "Bird's Eye" aerial image of the bridge, which is also known as Peck Bridge. 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 Exzetta West 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. There is also very little information available on Shawnda Summers. And there had to be somebody missing her.. The identity of Wendy Marie Stephens was one of those unknowns. Photo filed July 11, 1983. She had been killed by ligature strangulation. The next day, Ms. Gaspars parents and sister came to visit from Phoenix. Back then, there werent amber alerts or social media search pages. Never returned. But after nearly 40 years of worrying and wondering, Ms. Gaspar now knows what happened to her daughter. Within a month, fourother bodies were found on the riverbank:Debra Lynn Bonner, Marcia Faye Chapman, Opal Charmaine Mills and Cynthia Jean Hinds. Green River Killer Gary Ridgway: Photos from the archives. Our investigation continued for decades. Shed hug anyone. CreditPhoto Illustration by Aubrey Trinnaman for The New York Times.
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