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Gary Ridgway, aka the Green River Killer, pleaded guilty in 2001 in a deal to avoid the death penalty
Graig Graziosiin Washington, D.C.Wednesday 03 December 2025 20:58 GMT
Close"Green River Killer" Gary Ridgway receiving end-of-life care
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Speculation continues to swirl over the health of Washington state’s “Green River Killer” — who murdered at least 49 women and girls in the 1980s and 90s – after local reports claimed he was “near death.”
Gary Ridgway, who claimed to have killed as many as 80 women, is reportedly receiving end-of-life care in prison, former King County Sheriff Dave Reichert, who spent years hunting, and eventually secured a conviction against, the serial killer, told KOMO News.
"What I'm hearing right now is that he's, he is close to death, but I don't have any facts to back that up,” he told the outlet.
“I did see a photo of him about a year ago, and he was in a wheelchair. It didn't look very healthy at all, so it's not surprising that people are saying that he's in his last days, but I don't have any facts to back that up,” he added.
The Washington Department of Corrections has directly refuted the claims, calling them "inaccurate rumors."
"While we are not able to provide much detail about incarcerated individuals’ medical information, we are able to confirm that Gary Ridgway has not had any change to his medical condition," the agency told KOMO News. "He is also not eligible to be released to a hospice facility, since people on life without parole are not eligible."
open image in gallery“Green River Killer” Gary Ridgway in a recent mugshot (left) is reportedly “near death,” according to local media reports, though the Washington Department of Corrections has refuted those claims. The convicted killer, pictured in 2003 on the right, is serving life in prison for the murders of 49 women (King County Jail/AP)Regardless of Ridgway’s health, Reichert branded the killer a "pathological liar" and a "psychopath" who will likely take "a lot of secrets to the grave with him."
"So we were pulling teeth for information for each and every case that we finally charged him with. And we knew that he was withholding a lot of information," the former sheriff said. "He's a pathological liar. He's also a psychopath. And so I think that at times he didn't know truth from lie. So I'm sure that he's kept a lot of secrets, and he's going to die with some secrets,” he added.
Ridgway reportedly has claimed he killed as many as 80 people, but the details of several of those supposed killings are still a mystery to authorities.
He first landed on police radars in 1982 after a series of murders in the Seattle area. A special task force was convened to investigate, and Ridway became an early suspect.
In 1987, police secured a search warrant for Ridgway's home, but were unable to find evidence linking him to any murders. A DNA sample was collected from him at the time, but technology had not advanced far enough at the time to link him to any of the murders.
open image in galleryGreen River Killer Gary Ridgway listens during his arraignment on charges of murder in the 1982 death of Rebecca "Becky" Marrero in 2011. (AP2011)That changed in 2001, when Ridgway's DNA was again tested against samples collected from victims' bodies. Police established a link and arrested him later that year.
Ridgway initially denied wrongdoing, but later confessed to his crimes, saying he tried to kill "as many prostitutes as possible." He said that he targeted sex workers because he "hated" them. He also preyed on runaways and other vulnerable people. His youngest known victim was a 14-year-old girl from Denver.
In 2003, Ridgway pleaded guilty as part of a deal to avoid the death penalty. That deal required him to provide details of his murders to the police, and to agree to plead guilty to "any and all" future cases in King County.
King County sheriff's investigators are still working to solve the remaining unsolved homicide cases linked the to the killer.
