Wendy Coffield’s body being pulled from the Green River — Source: History Link
The majority of Ridgway’s victims were killed between 1982 and 1983. They were either prostitutes or runaways that he picked up along Pacific Highway South (International Blvd. 99). Most of the victims were strangled.
Ridgway dumped most of the bodies in wooded areas around the Green River, with the exception of four victims. They were often left in clusters. They were nude and often posed. At times, Ridgway would return to the bodies to have sex with them.
Despite having a relatively low IQ, Ridgway was far from dumb. In an attempt to throw investigators off his trail, he would often contaminate the crime scene with gum, cigarettes, and written materials taken from other people. He even transported some of his victims across state lines to Oregon to confuse the police.
One time, a victim badly scratched his arm, so he basted it with battery acid so it would not look like a scratch. When a victim did scratch him, he would clip their nails so the police would not find any of his skin underneath them.
Prostitutes were the Green River Killer’s favorite prey. As a child, Ridgway often listened to his father complaining about the many prostitutes he encountered while working as a bus driver. He grew to hate them, and they were the perfect victims. They often had no families, were addicted to drugs, and thus easy to manipulate. And if they went missing, it would be a long time before anyone noticed…if they noticed at all.
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