Last known remains of teenage girl identified as victim of Green River killer
The King County Sheriff’s Office in Washington state has confirmed that the last known set of remains linked to the Green River serial killer belonged to a teenage girl who had previously been identified as a victim. The remains have been identified as those of 16-year-old Tammie Liles, who was from Everett, Washington.
Authorities had previously identified another set of partial remains as belonging to Liles. According to the sheriff’s office, there are no other unidentified remains believed to be connected to Gary Ridgway, also known as the Green River killer.
Ridgway targeted vulnerable girls and young women, including sex workers and runaways, in the Seattle area during the 1980s and 1990s. He became a suspect in the Green River killings, named after the waterway where the first victims were found. However, it wasn’t until 2001 that detectives were able to prove his involvement through advances in DNA technology.
The identification of Tammie Liles brings some closure to the families of Ridgway’s victims. Eric White, a spokesperson for the King County sheriff, expressed relief that they could provide answers about what happened to their loved ones.
Liles was initially identified as a victim of the Green River killer in 1988 when her dental records matched remains found near Tigard, Oregon. Ridgway later led authorities to the discovery of a second set of Liles’ remains in southern King County in 2003.
Despite efforts to find matches for the DNA sample taken from the second set of remains in 2003, no matches were found at the time. In 2022, the Sheriff’s Office enlisted the help of Othram, a Texas-based genetic genealogy company specializing in forensic DNA work. Othram’s forensic genetic genealogy team tentatively identified Liles as the unknown victim using a DNA profile and confirmed the match with a sample from her mother.
Ridgway, who has pleaded guilty to 49 slayings, including that of Tammie Liles, is currently serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole at the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla.
This latest development marks a significant milestone in the case, providing closure for the families affected by Ridgway’s heinous crimes.
Authorities have confirmed that the last set of remains linked to the Green River serial killer in Washington state belonged to a teenage girl named Tammie Liles. Liles, who had previously been identified as a victim, was 16 years old and from Everett, Washington. The Green River killer, Gary Ridgway, targeted vulnerable girls and young women in the Seattle area in the 1980s and 1990s. Ridgway was long suspected in the killings, but his involvement was not proven until 2001 when advances in DNA technology allowed authorities to link him to the crimes. Liles’ remains were initially identified in 1988, and a second set was discovered in 2003. The identification of Liles’ remains brings closure to all 49 victims of Ridgway, according to the King County sheriff’s spokesperson. Ridgway has pleaded guilty to 49 slayings and is currently serving life without parole.
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