Last known remains of Green River killer identified 40 years later

Jan. 24 (UPI) -- The last known human remains, linked to the "Green River killer" who murdered dozens of women and girls decades ago, have been identified in Washington state.

The partial remains, known as "Bones 20," were found in the Seattle area in 2003 after convicted serial killer Gary Ridgway led detectives to them. More than 20 years later, the remains have now been identified as belonging to Tammie Liles, the King County Sheriff's Office announced in a statement Monday.

"With this identification, there are no other unidentified remains associated with the Green River case," the sheriff's office said.

Liles was last seen in the Seattle area in June 1983 when she was 16 and working as a prostitute. She was reported missing in March 1988. An earlier set of remains, found in a different location and identified through dental records, were also identified as belonging to Liles.

The latest remains are the last tied to Ridgway, who was known as the "Green River killer" in the 1980s. The serial killer was named after a river south of Seattle where he dumped many of his victims starting in 1982.

As DNA technology progressed through the years, Ridgway was identified as the killer and arrested in November 2001 when he was linked to a number of victims.

Ridgway, 74, pleaded guilty to 48 counts of aggravated murder in 2003, and vowed to help investigators find more missing remains in exchange for avoiding the death penalty. He eventually pleaded guilty to a 49th victim and is currently serving a life sentence at the Washington State Penitentiary at Walla Walla.

Liles' remains were identified last August after extensive testing by Othram, a Texas-based forensic sequencing laboratory contracted by the sheriff's office.

"The DNA was in very terrible shape, degraded," said David Mittelman, Othram's chief executive officer and genetics expert.

"In August 2023, Othram notified KCSO that they successfully built a DNA profile for the unknown victim and their in-house forensic genetic genealogy team had tentatively identified Bones 20 as Tammie Liles," the sheriff's office said.

Detectives were able to confirm Liles' identity through a DNA sample from her mother.

"This sample was sent to the University of North Texas, which was then able to identify using traditional STR and mitochondrial DNA testing that the remains are also those of Tammie Liles," the department added.

The sheriff's department said Monday it is a huge relief to be able to provide closure to the case and to the families of Ridgway's victims.

"It's an immense feeling of satisfaction that in this case, that started in the early '80s, we are able to identify all of Gary Ridgway's victims," sheriff's office spokesperson Eric White said. "All 49 of them."