Current:Home > FinanceRemains of Green River Killer victim identified as runaway 15-year-old Lori Anne Ratzpotnik-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
Remains of Green River Killer victim identified as runaway 15-year-old Lori Anne Ratzpotnik
View Date:2024-12-23 20:34:42
A victim of the Green River Killer was identified nearly four decades after her body was found.
Two sets of human remains were found in Auburn, Washington, along a steep embankment in 1985, according to a news release from the King County Sheriff's Office. At the time, the remains were investigated by the Green River Task Force — set up to investigate a series of bodies found dumped in the woods along the Green River in Washington state in the early 1980s. The sets were identified as Bones 16 and Bones 17, the sheriff's office said.
In 2002, the Green River Killer, Gary Ridgway, led officials to the location and said he had placed victims there. He pleaded guilty to the murders of those two victims, as well as 46 other women and girls, in 2003. In 2012, the set of remains known as Bones 16 was identified through DNA testing as Sandra Majors.
It wasn't until this week that investigators were able to conclude that Bones 17 were the remains of Lori Anne Ratzpotnik, a 15-year-old who had run away from home in 1982, the sheriff's office said. Ratzpotnik had lived in Lewis County, about 75 miles away from Auburn.
Investigators worked with Parabon NanoLabs to use forensic genetic genealogy testing on the remains. The lab was able to develop a new DNA profile. Razpotnik's mother provided a saliva sample to detectives, and the University of North Texas carried out DNA comparison testing "which confirmed that they were Lori Anne's remains," the sheriff's office said.
Ridgway's first murder victims were found in 1982 and Ridgway was arrested in 2001. In 2003, Ridgway agreed to plead guilty to all murders that he had committed in King County to avoid the death penalty. Ridgway pleaded guilty to 48 counts of aggravated murder in the first degree, according to King's County, and remains imprisoned for life without a chance of release at the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla.
Two victims remain unidentified: though Ridgway admitted to their murders, he could not "supply any significant information that would assist" in their identification, King County said in a page dedicated to the investigation into the Green River Killer.
The county also said there are three women — Kassee Ann Lee, Kelly Kay McGinnis and Patricia Ann Osborn — who were last seen in the Seattle area in the early 1980s. They remain missing today and "are listed on the official Green River Homicides list," but Ridgway was not charged in their disappearances.
The county noted that authorities are also looking for three missing women, one of whom is unidentified, who have been missing since the early 1980s. One of the women was an associate of Tammie Liles, another victim of Ridgway's. Police have asked that anyone with information about these women, or any other crimes linked to the Green River case, contact them.
- In:
- Seattle
- Missing Girl
- Washington
Kerry Breen is a reporter and news editor at CBSNews.com. A graduate of New York University's Arthur L. Carter School of Journalism, she previously worked at NBC News' TODAY Digital. She covers current events, breaking news and issues including substance use.
TwitterveryGood! (82258)
Related
- These Yellowstone Gift Guide Picks Will Make You Feel Like You’re on the Dutton Ranch
- New Hampshire’s highest court upholds policy supporting transgender students’ privacy
- Getting paid early may soon be classified as a loan: Why you should care
- Banana Republic’s Labor Day Sale Has Fall Staples Starting at $18—Save up to 90% off Jackets & Sweaters
- Trading wands for whisks, new Harry Potter cooking show brings mess and magic
- 'DWTS' pro dancer Artem Chigvintsev arrested on domestic violence charge
- Toyota recalls 43,000 Sequoia hybrids for risk involving tow hitch covers
- Are banks, post offices, UPS and FedEx open on Labor Day? Here's what to know
- Veterans Day restaurant deals 2024: More than 80 discounts, including free meals
- Harris says Trump tariffs will cost Americans $4k/year. Economists are skeptical.
Ranking
- Olympic Skier Lindsey Vonn Coming Out of Retirement at 40
- Ex-Florida deputy released on bond in fatal shooting of U.S. Airman Roger Fortson
- Target's viral Lewis the Pumpkin Ghoul is sneaking into stores, but won't likely lurk long
- What to watch: Not today, Satan! (Not you either, Sauron.)
- Denzel Washington teases retirement — and a role in 'Black Panther 3'
- Child abuse images removed from AI image-generator training source, researchers say
- Women’s college in Virginia bars transgender students based on founder’s will from 1900
- Tap water is generally safe to drink. But contamination can occur.
Recommendation
-
Surfer Bethany Hamilton Makes Masked Singer Debut After 3-Year-Old Nephew’s Tragic Death
-
Ancient mosaic of Hercules nets man prison term for illegal import from Syria
-
A tumultuous life, a turn toward faith and one man who wonders if it’s time to vote
-
The Daily Money: Gas prices ease
-
Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow's Son Moses Martin Reveals His Singing Talents at Concert
-
Mississippi sues drugmakers and pharmacy benefit managers over opioids
-
Emma Roberts Weighs in on Britney Spears Biopic Casting Rumors
-
Korban Best, known for his dancing, sprints to silver in Paralympic debut