Recognize this teen? DNA used to create photo of Green River Killer victim, WA cops say

Gary Ridgway, also known as the Green River Killer, pleaded guilty to killing 48 women in 2003.

Two victims remain unidentified, and the King County Sheriff’s Office is hoping a composite photo developed using DNA will help them name the “woman known only to King County investigators as Bones-17,” a release from the sheriff said.

“There is renewed urgency in this case,” King County Sheriff Mitzi Johanknecht said in the release. “Thirty-five years have passed since Bones-17’s discovery and investigators want to connect with family before memories and other evidence fade.”

According to the release:

The remains of two victims were discovered in southeast King County by detectives on Jan. 2, 1986. While she remained unidentified, Bones-17’s death was included in Ridgway’s 2003 plea agreement.

Investigators say the victim was potentially in her mid to late teens when she was killed and the “circumstances that brought her to the Puget Sound area remain unknown.” She may have been native to the eastern U.S. or Canada.

Parabon Nanolabs, Inc. and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children used Snapshot DNA Analysis to develop the victim’s composite photo.

“Every person … needs their name. It will take the help of a nation to give Bones-17 hers.”

Anyone with information about the victim’s identity should contact the center at 1-800-THE LOST with the reference number 1151979 or the King County Sheriff’s Office at (206) 296-3311 with the case number 86-000818.

This story was originally published April 2, 2021 at 4:05 PM with the headline "Recognize this teen? DNA used to create photo of Green River Killer victim, WA cops say."