The body is later identified as Wendy Lee Coffield, who was 16 years old. Top $76,000-a-year New Jersey boarding school admits 'more should have been done' to stop bullying of boy, 17, who took his own life after being falsely accused of rape by cruel peers The three bodies were not the only ones to be found in and around Washington state's Green River. Delise Louise Plager Opal Charmaine Mills 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. Thesethree women are listed on the official Green River Homicides list. There is little information available on 20 year old Sandra Major. The remainder of her clothing jeans, underpants and shirt were tightly tied around her neck like a ligature. The persistent sneezing was usually her undoing. Shes invisible to us, but we can see her impact on the genetic networks that were working on.. Were it not for a change in the databases opt-out policy that made Ms. Gaspars profile visible to everyone except for law enforcement investigators, they would have identified her immediately. Try again later. Lisa L. Yates Wendy was 16 years old and last seen on July 8, 1982 in the Tacoma, Washington area. During his confession, Ridgway stated that he picked the young girl up on a highway. 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. Green River Killer - CBS News Alma Smith was only 18 years old when she disappeared. Within a month, five bodies of young women had been discovered in and along the Green River. Revised December 2, 2001, The Free Encyclopedia of Washington State History. On on of her trips Gisele had become involved with a taxi driver known as Jak-Bak. By August of 1982 she was living in a motel with her boyfriend and was supporting the both of them as a sex worker. By the time this article was published, the bodies of four more sex workers had turned up in the Green River. I thought you might like to see a memorial for Wendy Lee Coffield I found on Findagrave.com. Free Horror Movies Watch 600+ Horror Movies! Please reset your password. Gary Ridgway admitted to killing of all of these women, but could not supply any significant information that would assist in the identification of these women. For more details, please read our Privacy & Cookie Policy. Our investigation continued for decades. California native Gisele Lovvorn had, by all accounts, a normal and happy childhood. She began to feel isolated and started running away from home when she was 14. Aug. 12, 1982 - Body of Debra Bonner, 23, found in Green River. She was only 17 at the time of her disappearance. 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. Delise Louise Plager And there had to be somebody missing her.. Green River Killer Timeline - 338 Words | Internet Public Library This browser does not support getting your location. Share this memorial using social media sites or email. They were human beings., That summer, Wendy Stephens disappeared for the better part of a month. When she was sexually assaulted by a man in September, 1982. By 12 she would often run away from home after fights with her parents. Pammy Avent This time she was determined to turn things around by keeping this child and getting her GED. There were women whose bodies were found but not identified. This is a carousel with slides. Back at home, Wendys parents attempted to implement punishments, but Wendy was too strong-willed, short-tempered, and impulsive for them to make a difference. We Want To Finance Your Film. Your email address will not be published. Denise Darcel Bush GREAT NEWS! Enjoy yourself. The way Wendy was identified, said Detective Jensen, I never would have believed it was possible 10 years ago. And, unbeknownst to her family, Marie was also a sex worker. Wendy went to live with her mother, Virginia Coffield. 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. 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. Thus began one of the longest and largest serial murder investigations in United States history. Alma Ann Smith Never returned. Wendy was 16 years old and last seen on July 8, 1982 in the Tacoma, Washington area. she wondered, as she searched for her face mask. Victims Spotlight: Remembering the Victims of the Green River Killer, She was described as cheerful, outgoing and someone who could take care of herself. Two teenage boys were cycling across the Meeker Street Bridge in Kent, Washington, when they spotted something floating in the water. She was wearing a beautiful dress and a long gray coat. Shed do anything for anybody., Unfortunately there is little known about Marcia Chapmans early life. To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer. All kinds of things go through your head, she said. Opal Mills, victim of the Green River Killer. Her remains were found July 15, 1982. The sponsor of a memorial may add an additional. You are only allowed to leave one flower per day for any given memorial. To his horror, he realized that the figure was not a mannequin, but a dead woman. 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. Are you adding a grave photo that will fulfill this request? The two separated soon after, but Ms. Gaspar, 17 at the time, said raising Wendy as a single, teenage mother was surprisingly easy. Cheryl Lee Wims Women, many of them just girls, really, started disappearing in 1982. Way too much coffee. She had been killed by ligature strangulation. Gisele was only 17 years old when she was murdered by that animal sitting over there who we have to call a manDying would be too easy for him. 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. 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. Law enforcement officials did not always treat chronic runaways as potential victims, which could delay initial search efforts. Debra Lorraine Estes TM & 2015 Turner Entertainment Networks, Inc. A Time Warner Company. To add a flower, click the Leave a Flower button. She saw a counselor once a week and, though she wanted to discuss other things, all she could think about was Wendy. Wendy Lee Coffield 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. One week later her body . 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? Terry Renee Milligan Photos taken over the past three decades tell part of the story of serial killer Gary Ridgway's crimes against Norhtwest women and girls. 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. By 1982 Wendy was working as a sex worker, had multiple run ins with police and was drinking and doing drugs often. The thing that caught my eye was tennis shoes. Horror Writers Wanted! So grief, Ms. Gaspar said, is lonely. Thanks for your help! By 1983 Carol was a young mother separated from her husband but she was determined to make it work for the sake of her daughter, Sarah, her absolute pride and joy. 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 two stayed in a small apartment in Washington State. Wendy was a runaway who had a history of prostitution. Shawnda Leea Summers Ridgway was eventually captured and convicted of his 49 confirmed victims, but he would later go on to confess to upwards of 80 murders. Maybe both. 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. She loved the band so much that she followed their concerts all over the country. At one stage, they lived in a tent and attempted to make money by selling blackberries that they had foraged. Green river homicides investigation - King County, Washington July 15, 1982: Children found Wendy Coffield (16 years old), strangled in the Green River Aug. 16: After the bodies of four more young women are found in or near the Green River, King County police set up the biggest police task force since the Ted Bundy murders of the 1970s. It was published on August 19th, 1982, just over a month after Wendy's remains were discovered. WENDY LEE COFFIELD - Stolen Lives Within a month, fourother bodies were found on the riverbank:Debra Lynn Bonner, Marcia Faye Chapman, Opal Charmaine Mills and Cynthia Jean Hinds. At her funeral, her family played her favorite song, Love Begins with One Hello.. Thus began one of the longest and largest serial murder investigations in United States history. This newspaper clipping is from the Spokesman Review. 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. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, in the Seattle and Tacoma areas of Washington, fear walked alongside the night owls and hustlers as the bodies of numerous young women were found in or near the Green River in south King County. to target victims of opportunity (women walking home, hitchhiking, etc.). JOSHUA GUNTHER COMPTON and MASON WALKER JONES, JUANITA DENEA NICOLE RENEE CASTLEBERRY-BESS, LILIANA CASAS-RIOS, KATHRINNE RIOS, and THANNYA RIOS, JESSICA NICOLE and MACKENZIE DAWN SULLIVAN BUTTS, CHRISTOPHER & KYLEIGH HAMM & AUSTIN BROWN, RYAN PATRICK BELLAR and ZACK JAMES BELLAR, BRYAN, DANIEL, DIANE BARNETT and JAVON NELSON. Ridgway was also expected to "provide complete, truthful and candid information concerning the crimes he had committed in King County." Wendy adjusted quickly to her new junior high, falling easily into a group of friends. Please take a look at the photographs below. And who are these women?