Who were Gary Ridgway’s victims?

At least 49 women and girls in the Seattle area, from 1982. Many were teenagers working along Pacific Highway South. They were often not reported missing for weeks.

When did police first suspect Gary Ridgway?

By 1983. He passed a polygraph in 1984, and police took his saliva in 1987. He was arrested in 2001.

How was Gary Ridgway caught?

By DNA. The saliva sample police took in 1987 sat for fourteen years until DNA testing could read it. He was arrested in 2001.

What was Gary Ridgway’s IQ?

85, tested for the defense by Dr. Craig Beaver, according to his defense lawyer’s account in ‘Defending Gary’.

What did Gary Ridgway plead guilty to?

Forty-eight counts, in King County Superior Court, on November 5, 2003.

An IQ of 85 stayed free 19 years

Timeline · No. 03

Nineteen years

The line
Event
Missed chance
The catch
A wait

Notation

The line: Time, left to right. Down the screen on a phone.
Event: A fact on the record.
Missed chance: The system had him and let him go.
The catch: The error that ended it, knocked out of line.
Open case: No one charged.
A wait: Time passes and nothing moves.

Data table

Nineteen years
Year	Event	Notation
1983	suspect	Event
1984	polygraph passed	Missed chance
1987	saliva sample taken	Event
2001	DNA match · arrest	The catch
2003	guilty plea · 48 counts	Event
1987–2001	the sample sits 14 years	A wait

Drawn from: State v. Ridgway, King County, plea statement 2003 · Prothero & Smith, ‘Defending Gary’

The case

Seattle area · 1982–2003

Seattle area, from 1982. At least 49 women and girls killed, many of them teenagers working along Pacific Highway South, often not reported missing for weeks. Gary Ridgway was a suspect by 1983. He passed a polygraph in 1984. Police took his saliva in 1987. It sat fourteen years until DNA could read it. Arrested 2001.

The mechanism

Why did it take nineteen years to arrest Gary Ridgway?

What protected him was victim choice. He told the court he picked women he believed would not be reported missing, and for years that was true. Concealment is not intelligence. It is choosing people the system is slow to look for.

The rule

Brains did not keep him free. Indifference did.

Exhibits

Places, documents and objects

A tall stone courthouse on a city block in 1949, seen from across a park, with cars parked along the street. — Exhibit 03-AKing County Courthouse, Seattle, April 1949Courtesy of the Seattle Municipal Archives, Item 9347 CC BY 2.0Cropped and toned.

The same courthouse in 2018, photographed straight on: a pale stone facade with rows of windows and arched upper floors. — Exhibit 03-BKing County Courthouse, Seattle, October 2018Photo by Joe Mabel CC BY-SA 4.0Cropped and toned. This version is also CC BY-SA 4.0.

The record

No. 03 · The Myth

Sources

01
State v. Ridgway, King County Superior Court — plea statement, Nov 5, 2003
- Primary record, archived copyKing County Superior Court (archived copy)
- Second sourceThe Herald, Everett
02
Prothero & Smith, ‘Defending Gary’ (Wiley, 2006), p. 150 — Ridgway IQ 85, tested for the defense by Dr. Craig Beaver (his defense lawyer’s account)
- Primary recordJossey-Bass (Wiley)

Transcript54.1 s

0:00
Claim
An IQ of 85 stayed free for nineteen years.
0:04
Case
Seattle area, from 1982. At least 49 women and girls killed, many of them teenagers working along Pacific Highway South, often not reported missing for weeks. Gary Ridgway was a suspect by 1983. He passed a polygraph in 1984. Police took his saliva in 1987. It sat fourteen years until DNA could read it. Arrested 2001.
0:30
Mechanism
What protected him was victim choice. He told the court he picked women he believed would not be reported missing, and for years that was true. Concealment is not intelligence. It is choosing people the system is slow to look for.
0:45
Rule and source
Brains did not keep him free. Indifference did. Source: King County plea statement, 2003.

Educational analysis. Adjudicated cases only. Victims named with respect.

Questions

Who were Gary Ridgway’s victims?: At least 49 women and girls in the Seattle area, from 1982. Many were teenagers working along Pacific Highway South. They were often not reported missing for weeks.
When did police first suspect Gary Ridgway?: By 1983. He passed a polygraph in 1984, and police took his saliva in 1987. He was arrested in 2001.
How was Gary Ridgway caught?: By DNA. The saliva sample police took in 1987 sat for fourteen years until DNA testing could read it. He was arrested in 2001.
What was Gary Ridgway’s IQ?: 85, tested for the defense by Dr. Craig Beaver, according to his defense lawyer’s account in ‘Defending Gary’.
What did Gary Ridgway plead guilty to?: Forty-eight counts, in King County Superior Court, on November 5, 2003.