We thought: This is great. Some of them had histories of prostitution, and many were last seen along Pacific Highway South near Sea-Tac airport. Coffield is believed to be the first victim of serial killer Gary Ridgway, who claimed the lives of at least 49 women between 1982 and 1998. It seems that they were frivolous with their money. The 16-year-old was found floating underneath this bridge. After falling in with the wrong friends Dub dropped out of high school, began abusing alcohol and fought with her parents. At some unknown point she turned to sex work and, shortly before her disappearance, she became a resident of the Echo Glen Childrens Center, which helps girls involved in prostitution to break the cycle and get out of that lifestyle. Murder Victim. Wendy adjusted quickly to her new junior high, falling easily into a group of friends. ). The last time Kenneth saw his wife was sometime in 1982, when she dropped off their daughter for the last time. Her body was found by two teenage boys riding their bikes across the bridge of the Green River, Wendy was under the Peck Bridge. Oops, we were unable to send the email. In Denver, Ms. Gaspar looked frantically for Wendy, scouring the neighborhood by car and gathering intelligence from her daughters friends. The prosecutor who helped convict the notorious Green River Killer of murdering at least 49 women in the 1980s says she is still haunted by the serial killer's lack of emotion over their deaths -. Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. Please enter your username or email address. Delise Louise Plager Though she only discussed these things with people she was very close with. TM & 2015 Turner Entertainment Networks, Inc. A Time Warner Company. The teenage girl was a runaway who had recently escaped from a juvenile detention center in Pierce County. Delores Lavern Williams Meanwhile, a dark saga had begun 1,300 miles to the northwest. According to her mother, Virginia, she had dropped out of school in junior high. Through interviews with family members, police officers and forensic investigators, we can stitch together the life and death of a young woman who was known as Jane Doe B-10 longer than she was known as Wendy. During his confession, Ridgway stated that he picked the young girl up on a highway. Andrea M. Childers One friend reported that Wendy was in Washington, but was unsure if it was Washington State or Washington, D.C. I was really afraid for her, Ms. Gaspar said, because she was so gregarious and because she had become so undependable. And there would be no forethought. Wendy was 16 years old and last seen on July 8, 1982 in the Tacoma, Washington area. Murder Victim. This link united both sides of Wendys family, cementing her parentage. The nameless women continued to haunt him, he said, but you cant investigate a case, except to process the remains, unless you know who someone is.. During the search, a detective made another macabre discovery. Ridgeway was charged with the murder of Wendy in April of 2003. A number of sources refer to the bridge as "Peck Bridge". Wendy Lee Coffield - Crime scene location - Odd Stops They were young, mostly teenagers or in their early 20s. Yvonne Shelly Antosh Photo filed July 15, 1982. On August 2nd, 1982, Marcias mother reported her missing. 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. As she moved into her early teens, her mother was struck and at times, frightened by her beauty and free spirit. 3 Unidentified victims, Find certified small business contractors and suppliers. Patricia Yellowrobe Wendy Lee Coffield While they were cycling home, they noticed that an object was stuck against an old post in the river. As the the landslide of human loss steadily accelerated, police even those who normally hesitated to cooperate with neighboring jurisdictions quickly noticed a horrific pattern appearing in instances that were previously considered simply isolated tragedies. Drag images here or select from your computer for Wendy Lee Coffield memorial. (He believes that he took at least three victims before Coffield, going back as early as the 1970s.) Are you sure that you want to report this flower to administrators as offensive or abusive? Born sometime in 1965, Shawnda was one of three children and had a history of prostitution. Seattle? For how many years, decades, I would not know how to answer that simple, innocent question., One night, five or so years after Wendys disappearance, Ms. Gaspar sat up in bed with a deep conviction. Almost everyone that knew 18 year old Mary Meehan would describe her as outgoing and vibrant. 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. Her reason for doing so was never disclosed. Her body was found by two teenage boys riding their bikes across the bridge of the Green River, Wendy was under the Peck Bridge. Our outings would be in the mountains, she said. One week later her body . Marie Malvar You can always change this later in your Account settings. She loved the band so much that she followed their concerts all over the country. Thus began one of the longest and largest serial murder investigations in United States history. Are you sure that you want to delete this flower? From the time Debra Estes was a small child she was considered a headstrong, wild girl who was almost impossible to rein in. Sandra D. Major You can set your cookie preferences below. I didnt know what to make of any of it.. no time to say goodbye Just a month earlier, another young girl, identified as Wendy Lee Coffield, was found strangled and floating in the Green River. Becky Marrero She was also a devoted fan of the band The Grateful Dead. Just days later, they discovered three more victims in or near the river: Cynthia Hinds, 17; Opal Mills, 16; and Marcia Chapman, 31. While she was walking in an area where the Green River Killer was known to operate, Carol Ann was not a sex worker; shed just finished having lunch at the Tavern and was planning to return there later that night for her shift as a waitress. And that was over and over again. For years the Green River Killer case will have the largest number of unsolved murders attributed to one individual in the history of the United States. The body of Wendy was recovered and the cause of death was determined to be murder by strangulation using the victim's own clothes. Take a second to support Fallon Gannon on Patreon! Green River Killer Timeline - 338 Words | Internet Public Library Her life took a major detour when she became pregnant in middle school. Green River Killer Gary Ridgway: Photos from the archives. By 1984, the number of dead or missing women reached 49, becoming the nations largest unsolved serial-murder case. Thus began one of the longest and largest serial murder investigations in United States history. Wendy was a runaway who had a history of prostitution. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6887254/wendy-lee-coffield. Ainsworth suspected that the men were out for a day's fishing. It is impossible to put into words how much her murder has devastated and destroyed my family. Her parents, Tom and Carol Estes, still live in the Auburn home where they last saw their teenage daughter. Quickly, Ainsworth swam toward the riverbank where the truck stood earlier. Within a month, fourother bodies were found on the riverbank:Debra Lynn Bonner, Marcia Faye Chapman, Opal Charmaine Mills and Cynthia Jean Hinds. The thing that caught my eye was tennis shoes. Green River taskforce photos from Seattle P-I archives Wendy Lee Coffield, 16, disappeared July 8, 1982. Are You A Horror Filmmaker? By 1983, 17 year old Sandra Gabber went from star of her high school basketball team to working in one of the most dangerous corners along the Pac HiWay. We never thought that it would be permanent.. Formerly known as Jane Doe B-16 or Bones 16, Sandra was eventually identified in 2012 after one of her cousins saw a television show about the Green River Killer and submitted DNA to the King County Sheriffs Office. Liked it? Throughout the 1980s and 90s, Mr. Ridgway, one of Americas most devastating serial killers, terrorized King County, Wash. 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. 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. Revised December 2, 2001, The Free Encyclopedia of Washington State History. By 1982 Debbie decided to leave her family home, stole $250 from her mothers purse and began living in various motels with an older boyfriend/pimp; whether or not he knew she was underage isnt known. Terry Renee Milligan I had contacted the police, she said. Close this window, and upload the photo(s) again. It was suspected that they were all murdered by the same person and dumped from the same location near the 25000 block of Frager Road. Today, the remains of two women are still unidentified, and others are suspected but unconfirmed victims. 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. Then, late in the afternoon on March 21, 1984, the King County Sheriffs Office got a call. Please reset your password. The two separated soon after, but Ms. Gaspar, 17 at the time, said raising Wendy as a single, teenage mother was surprisingly easy. Ridgway's decision to dump his victims in this river earned him the nickname "the Green River Killer.". Two teenage boys were cycling across the Meeker Street Bridge in Kent, Washington, when they spotted something floating in the water. Their kids were still in the process of running, and I was everybodys horror story. 3. Two boys riding their bicycles across a bridge spotted the tennis shoes first of fully clothed body. Colleen Renee Brockman Never returned. She had never been a great student; Mary suffered from a hearing misperception that made concentrating difficult. The remainder of her clothing jeans, underpants and shirt were tightly tied around her neck like a ligature. Resend Activation Email, Please check the I'm not a robot checkbox, If you want to be a Photo Volunteer you must enter a ZIP Code or select your location on the map. Once in a great while, we get a hint that theres somebody there, Dr. Press said. On July 15, 1982, the body of Wendy Lee Coffield was found in the Green River. Debbie using her street name Betty Lorraine eventually agreed to work with police in hopes of filing charges against her rapist. 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. According to her family, the last time Becky left the family home she turned back to her mother and said Im going to be gone for a long time, and where Im going, I cant take a baby. She was a good friend of Debra Estess and was last seen alive on December 2nd west of the SeaTac Strip. Giselle enjoyed the Charlie Daniels Band and collected antique Jack Daniels whiskey labels. Patricia Barczak Shed been active in her church too. The Young Woman Behind a Last Mystery of the Green River Killer Cynthia Jean Hinds Kelly Kay McGinnis was 18 years of age and was last seen on June 28, 1983 at South 216h Street and Pacific Highway South. There is a problem with your email/password. July 15, 1982 - Body of Wendy Lee Coffield, 16, Puyallup, found floating in the Green River south of Seattle. I just kept waiting for somebody to call and say, My young daughter ran away, Dr. Taylor said. This is a "Bird's Eye" aerial image of the bridge, which is also known as Peck Bridge. (AP Photo/King County Sheriff's Department, ho), Investigators move the body of a woman found slain. On July 15, 1982, the body of Wendy Lee Coffield was found in the Green River. After years of inactivity, detectives hoped to finally put names to the remaining unidentified bones. Debra Lorraine Estes Soon after reinforcement arrived at the scene, detectives sealed off the area and began a search for evidence. Wendy Lee Coffield Wendy Lee Coffield was 16 years old and last seen on July 8, 1982 in the Tacoma, Washington area. For more details, please read our Privacy & Cookie Policy. GreenRiverKillings. Colleen Brockman was only 15 years old when she disappeared. The three bodies were not the only ones to be found in and around Washington state's Green River. A vegan activist tried to ruin a chef's pub by posting fake one-star reviews on Tripadvisor despite having never visited the restaurant.. Joss Beechim-Horton runs the Manor House Inn in Callington . Never has done anything like this. Law enforcement officials did not always treat chronic runaways as potential victims, which could delay initial search efforts. The two girls found in the water, later identified as Marcia Chapman, 31, and Cynthia Hinds, 17, were both found to have pyramid-shaped rocks lodged in their vaginal cavities. Typically she would return after just a few days. On August 2nd, 1982, Marcias mother reported her missing. The oldest of three daughters, Shirley grew up in a tightknit family and was working as a sex worker by 1982. Ridgway was eventually captured and convicted of his 49 confirmed victims, but he would later go on to confess to upwards of 80 murders. (Copyright MOHAI, Seattle Post-Intelligencer Collection, 2000.107), Gary Leon Ridgway, pictured in a 1982 King County Sheriff's booking mug. There is also very little information available on Shawnda Summers. It was a trip he had made on many occasions, yet this time it would be different. 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. Use Escape keyboard button or the Close button to close the carousel. No animated GIFs, photos with additional graphics (borders, embellishments. Coffield was strangled to death with her own pants and dumped in the water. Way too much coffee. Opal Mills, victim of the Green River Killer. Ridgway targeted the desperate and the vulnerable, primarily sex workers or runaways, because he thought nobody would notice their absences and because he hated them, later stating in interviews that he wanted to kill as many prostitutes as possible. But he would occasionally venture away from his M.O. They then drove out to his "usual spot", where they had sex in his truck. I was able to hold it together until toward the end, where my defenses finally started falling apart, she said in an interview, her voice still tinged with disbelief. She and her boyfriend, a 24 year old Bobby, were recently engaged and she hoped they could have a regular, normal life. Shed drive around looking for Wendy, once even tracking her footsteps through the snow. People would ask me, Do you have children? she said. Anyone can read what you share. she wondered, as she searched for her face mask. At the park, just off Des Moines Memorial Drive, detectives followed the man to a swampy area outside the diamond where they found the rest of the remains. Shed do anything for anybody., Unfortunately there is little known about Marcia Chapmans early life. No farewell words were spoken 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.
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