The Encyclopedia of Serial Killers (77 page)

coffins with the bodies of her missing husbands, son, Ressler’s primary field of expertise at the time was and lovers tucked away inside.

hostage negotiation, a subject he taught to various Detained on murder charges, Vera made a full con-state and local police agencies through mid-1978.

fession, stating that she killed her husbands and her More road trips were involved, and he decided to use lovers with arsenic when they began to stray, sometimes his spare time interviewing notorious murderers jailed arranging a romantic “last supper” to climax a tryst.

in the states he visited, hoping to obtain information Her son’s demise had been a different story, brought that would help the BSU solve crimes and identify about by threats of blackmail when he stumbled on the unknown offenders. A California visit gave Ressler the basement crypt by accident. Some evenings, Vera liked chance to speak with EDMUND KEMPER, HERBERT

to sit among the coffins in an armchair and enjoy the MULLIN, JUAN CORONA, members of the MANSON

company of her adoring beaux. Convicted on the basis

“FAMILY,” and other infamous slayers. A few months of her own confession, Vera drew a term of life impris-later, traveling with new BSU member JOHN DOUGLAS

onment and subsequently died in custody.

to West Virginia, Ressler interviewed Mansonites Lynette (“Squeaky”) Fromme and Sandra Good, both serving time on federal charges.

RESSLER, Robert K.:
FBI profiler

Thus far, Ressler’s FBI superiors had been reluctant The son of a Chicago Tribune employee and born in to permit his prison interviews, but they had a change 1937, Robert Ressler discovered his budding fascina-of heart in 1979, inaugurating the Criminal Personality tion with serial murder at age nine when the local case Research Project. Ideally, it was hoped that understand-of WILLIAM HEIRENS received sensational newspaper ing killers and rapists in custody would promote accu-coverage. A self-described “average student” in high rate PROFILING of those still at large. By 1983, school, Ressler joined the army after graduation and interviews had been completed with 36 slayers, collec-was stationed on Okinawa. Discharged after two years tively responsible for 109 murders. The choice of sub-in uniform, he earned a degree in criminology and jects was skewed—all the subjects were male, all but police administration at Michigan State University, then three of them white—and those interviewed were not applied for a job with the Chicago Police Department.

all serial killers, but the list did include such notorious Rejected on grounds that recruits with “too much names as THEODORE BUNDY, DAVID BERKOWITZ, JOHN

schooling” were likely to “make trouble” in the graft-GACY, Richard Speck, JEROME BRUDOS, Charles Davis, ridden department, Ressler completed one semester of and Monte Rissell. Those interviews formed the hard graduate study before he returned to the army, this time core of an ever-expanding database, utilized today in as a lieutenant.

profiling unknown offenders through the FBI’s VICAP.

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RIDGWAY, Gary Leon

Retired from the FBI in 1990, Ressler has kept up a remains were found in November 1983 and May 1988, busy schedule of lectures and writing, police-training respectively. Linda Rule, age 16, disappeared on Sep-seminars, private consulting on criminal cases, and fre-tember 26, 1982; her remains were discovered on Janu-quent appearances on TV talk shows. While he did not, ary 31, 1983.

in fact, coin the term serial murder, he remains a leading FBI agent JOHN EDWARD DOUGLAS took a crack at

expert in the field today and has coauthored four books PROFILING the Green River Killer in September 1982, relevant to the subject. They include: Sexual Homicide and while the broad strokes of his 12-page assessment (1988); the FBI Crime Classification Manual (1992); later proved correct—the killer was a white male from a Whoever Fights Monsters (1992); and I Have Lived in troubled home who sought dominance over women—

the Monster (1997).

the fine points flew wide of the mark. As finally revealed in 2001, the slayer was not an unemployed outdoorsman who smoked and drank heavily, yet somehow

RIDGWAY, Gary Leon

remained in top physical form. The actual killer held For nearly two decades, between January 1982 and one job for more than three decades, never smoked, November 2001, police in Washington pursued an elu-drank only the occasional “lite” beer, and made no sive predator who murdered girls and women along the effort to remain in shape. His sole “outdoor activity”

seedy Sea-Tac Strip, between Seattle and Tacoma.

was hunting women. The case nearly killed Douglas, its Detectives dubbed their quarry the “Green River stress producing a brain hemorrhage when he visited Killer,” after his favorite dumping ground, and ulti-Seattle for a consultation on the crimes in December mately blamed him for the deaths or disappearances of 1983.

49 victims. Today, although a suspect has confessed and According to police, the six known dead had all been imprisoned in that case, disturbing mysteries been prostitutes, but the killer also showed a taste for remain.

runaways and hitchhikers. Denise Bush, age 22, van-Published reports identify the killer’s first known vic-ished on October 8, 1982; her skull surfaced in Oregon tim as Leann Wilcox, a 16-year-old Tacoma resident on June 12, 1985, while the rest of her remains were found strangled in a field near Federal Way, eight miles not found until February 1990. Seventeen-year-old south of Seattle, on January 21, 1982. The absence of a Shawnda Summers disappeared one day after Bush, her pattern in that case prevented homicide detectives from remains identified by authorities in August 1983.

establishing connections to the string of later deaths, Shirley Sherrill dropped from sight in late October; the and nearly two years would elapse before Wilcox was 18-year-old’s bones were found in June 1985. Rebecca finally acknowledged as a “Green River” victim, in Marrero, a 20-year-old friend of Debra Estes, was last November 1983. Likewise, 36-year-old Amina Agisheff seen alive on December 2, 1982. Fifteen-year-old was simply a missing person when she vanished on July Colleen Brockman vanished on Christmas Eve 1982; 7, 1982. Her skeletal remains were not recovered and her bones were found in a ditch, 20 miles south of identified until April 1984.

Seattle, on May 26, 1984.

The first “official” victim, 16-year-old Wendy Alma Smith, age 19, picked up her last “trick” in Coffield, was reported missing from her foster home on Seattle on March 3, 1983; her skeletal remains were July 8, 1982, her body fished out of the Green River found with Terri Milligan’s in April 1984. Seventeen-seven days later. Seventeen-year-old Gisele Lovvorn left year-old Delores Williams vanished on March 8 and home and vanished on July 17; she was found two was found dead on March 31, 1984. The killer’s pace months later, on September 25. On August 12, 23-year-accelerated furiously during April, with 24-year-old old Deborah Bonner was dragged from the river, a half-Gail Matthews killed on April 10 (found September 18, mile upstream from where Coffield was found. On 1983), 19-year-old Andrea Childers on April 16 (found August 15 the Green River yielded three more victims: October 11, 1983), 17-year-old Sandra Gabbert and 31-year-old Marcia Chapman, 17-year-old Cynthia 16-year-old Kimi-Kai Pitsor on April 17 (found in 1984

Hinds, and 16-year-old Opal Mills, all reported missing and 1986, respectively), and 18-year-old Marie Malvar since August 1, 1982.

on April 30 (found September 29, 2003).

Police now realized they had a problem on their May 1983 was equally lethal. Carol Christensen, age hands, and it was growing by the day. Two 17-year-19, vanished on May 3 and was found five days later.

olds, Kase Lee and Terri Milligan, went missing in late Sixteen-year-old Joanne Hovland also disappeared on August 1982; Milligan’s remains were identified on May 3, shortly after her release from a juvenile deten-April 1, 1984. Eighteen-year-old Mary Meehan joined tion facility in Everett; she remains missing today. Eigh-the missing list on September 15, 1982, followed by 15-teen-year-old Martina Authorlee disappeared on May year-old Debra Estes five days later. Their skeletal 22; her remains were found on November 14, 1984. On
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RIDGWAY, Gary Leon

May 23, 18-year-old Cheryl Wims dropped from sight, October’s victims included 25-year-old Mary Bellow found dead on March 22, 1984. Two victims, 19-year-

(killed October 11, found the next day), 16-year-old old Yvonne Antosh and 15-year-old Carrie Rois, disap-Pammy Avent (killed October 26, 1983, found August peared on May 31; their remains were found in

16, 2003), and 22-year-old Delise Plager (killed Octo-October 1983 and March 1985, respectively.

ber 30, 1983, found February 14, 1984). The slayer All the murders had a certain ritualistic quality. Like claimed 26-year-old Kimberly Nelson on November 1, THEODORE ROBERT BUNDY before him, the Green River 1983; her remains were found June 14, 1986. Lisa Killer preferred certain dump sites for multiple victims.

Yates, age 26, vanished on December 23 and was found At least eight such locations were used, the killer dead on March 13, 1984.

switching off despite police surveillance. Many victims A task force was organized to investigate the Green were covered with loose brush and branches, and sev-River murders in January 1984, but its formation failed eral were laid out beside fallen logs. Pathologists found to intimidate the killer. Relatives of Patricia Osborn, a small, pyramid-shaped stones inserted into the vaginas 19-year-old prostitute, reported her missing on January of several Green River victims; their significance is 24, and her name made the Green River victims’ list on unknown to this day. At least one corpse was left by the February 11. Five days earlier, on February 6, 16-year-killer with a dead fish draped across one thigh.

old Mary West was abducted en route to a neighbor-Police had two near-misses with the killer in spring hood market; her skull was identified in September 1983. On April 8, prostitute Gail Matthews climbed 1985. Seventeen-year-old Cindy Smith became the last into a pickup truck on the Sea-Tac Strip, observed by official Green River victim on March 21, 1984; her her boyfriend as the vehicle pulled away. Her strangled remains were found on June 27, 1987.

body was found near Star Lake on September 18, 1983, Police reviewed their file on Gary Ridgway in spring but the boyfriend gave conflicting descriptions of the 1984. By then, they knew that he had been arrested in killer’s vehicle and the search went nowhere. Mean-July 1980, on suspicion of choking a hooker, but he while, on April 30, Marie Malvar worked the Strip near was released without charges. In May 1982 he was the spot where Matthews had vanished three weeks ear-jailed again, for soliciting sex from an undercover lier. Malvar’s pimp, Robert Woods, watched her enter a policewoman. That charge was apparently dropped, dark-colored pickup and followed the truck for several but two years later, on May 7, 1984, Ridgway agreed to blocks before he lost it at a red light. Malvar never task force requests that he sit for a polygraph test in the returned from her “date,” but Woods described the Green River case. The specific results of that session pickup to her family and José Malvar went searching were never released, but court documents state that for his daughter. Finding the truck Woods had

“Ridgway was considered to be cleared as a Green described, parked outside a house in Des Moines, River suspect.” Later, he bragged about the ease with Washington, Malvar directed police to the scene. Detec-which he fooled police. “I just relaxed and took the tive Robert Fox questioned the tenant, Gary Ridgway, polygraph,” he said. “I mean, I didn’t practice or anyon May 4 and accepted his denials at face value.

thing. Just relaxed and answered the questions and The interrogation solved nothing. Constance Naon, whatever came out, came out.” That test was subse-a 23-year-old prostitute, was reported missing on June quently ruled “invalid,” but at the time it diverted offi-8, 1983; her bones were recovered in October. On June cial attention from Ridgway toward other suspects.

12, the killer plucked 27-year-old Kimberly Reames Six months later, in November 1984, police discov-from the Sea-Tac Strip. Her body was recovered the ered a survivor of the murder series. Rebecca Guay was next afternoon. Kelly Ware, age 22, disappeared on July 19 years old in November 1982, when she accepted $20

19; her remains were found on October 29. Another for a “car date” with the driver of a dark-colored 22-year-old, Tina Thompson, vanished on July 25 and pickup on Pacific Highway South. The “john” told was found dead on April 20, 1984. April Buttram, age Guay a sob story about his recent arrest in a prostitu-17, left home for the last time on August 4, 1983; her tion sting, then drove her deep into the woods and tried scattered remains were found in August and September to strangle her. She managed to escape, but waited two 2003.

years to report the incident. When shown a photo September 1983 was another busy month for the

lineup of six suspects, she immediately fingered Gary Green River Killer. He claimed 26-year-old Debbie Ridgway’s mug shot. This time, when questioned by Abernathy on the September 5; her skeletal remains police, Ridgway admitted paying Guay for sex, further were recovered on March 31, 1984. Nineteen-year-olds granting that he choked her after she had bitten him.

Tracy Winston and Maureen Feeney were reported Detectives dropped the case.