wendy lee coffield autopsy report

But Ms. Gaspar was hardly alone. Some of them had histories of prostitution, and many were last seen along Pacific Highway South near Sea-Tac airport. Meanwhile, a dark saga had begun 1,300 miles to the northwest. Burial Details Unknown Tammie Charlene Liles Flowers have been left. 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. Cynthia, who often went by Cookie, got a job through a private contractor to paint apartments, and worked with a friend, Opal Mills, another of Ridgways victims. In the book Green River, Running Red Kimi-Kais mother recalled that She wanted to see how life worked and never took anyones word for anything. The body of Wendy Lee Coffield, 16, of Puyallup, was found floating in the Green River on July 15, 1982. "I'm saying, stop moving and I'll let you go. The murderer dubbed the Green River Killer was eventually identified as Gary Leon Ridgway, a boring little man of meager intelligence, whose presence was so painfully average and unremarkable he was able to lure, torture, and kill dozens of young women without anyone noticing or even suspecting him. He has been a suspect for a long time, but before now, detectives had not found adequate evidence to build a case against him. She was found on August 12, 1982, and her death was almost immediately linked to the deaths of two other area sex workers, Wendy Coffield and Leann Wilcox. 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. This location belongs to the following categories: Follow us on Facebook or Twitter to see future locations: Other locations that are relatively close to this place. The last time her mother, Nancy McIntyre, saw Sandra was when they met for lunch at a Mexican restaurant where Sandra talked all about her upcoming trip to San Francisco and Hollywood. Vegan activist tried to ruin my business by posting fake reviews People would ask me, Do you have children? she said. As the winter of 1982-83 wore on, Ms. Gaspar did her best to keep track of her daughter. I was like, OK, well, they dont need that, and Im not getting what I need there.. TM & 2015 Turner Entertainment Networks, Inc. A Time Warner Company. Please reset your password. He stopped them, told them of his gruesome discovery and asked them to get the police. Quickly see who the memorial is for and when they lived and died and where they are buried. We use cookies to deliver personalized advertisements, improve your online experience, and to analyze our site's performance. She became argumentative and stubborn, distancing herself without explanation. Typically she would return after just a few days. As he drifted slowly downstream, he noticed a middle-aged balding man standing by the riverbank and a second, younger man sitting in a nearby pickup truck. Sandra K.Gabbert A few months later, in November of 2001, Mr. Ridgway was arrested when DNA found on three victims was linked to hair and saliva samples obtained from him almost two decades prior. The thing that caught my eye was tennis shoes. Shirley Marie Sherrill All photos uploaded successfully, click on the Done button to see the photos in the gallery. Try again later. Green River Killer case opens when Debra Lynn Bonner's body is Never has done anything like this. There isnt much information available on her early life though it seems she was close with her family including her sister, mother, and later, her daughter, Shaunt. We Want To Finance Your Film. That spring, Mr. Ridgway became a suspect in the Green River case when a tip led detectives to his door. And what of the countless women who had just disappeared in those years, whose families would always wonder whether their daughters ended up in Mr. Ridgways truck? You can change your choice at any time by using the Privacy Center link in our footer. November 5, 2003: Gary Leon Ridgway pled guilty to 48 counts of Aggravated Murder in the First Degree. Tom Estes yesterday acknowledged that charging Ridgway in his daughter's death was good news, but he declined further comment. Wendy strayed a bit, as some teenagers do, she said. And now were doing it., Ms. Gaspar described a certain amount of comfort that came with not wondering if shes going to call me or knock on my door, or how many grandkids do I have? But, she added, When you go to bed each night, and you think about the last of her moments, thats not peace., For parents of the other Green River victims, support groups that formed in the 80s gave them a place to mourn together. This link united both sides of Wendys family, cementing her parentage. People werent strangers to her. Kimberly Nelson Kelly Kay McGinnis was 18 years of age and was last seen on June 28, 1983 at South 216h Street and Pacific Highway South. She loved the band so much that she followed their concerts all over the country. As word of the so-called Green River Killer spread throughout the community, Mr. Reichert said, families began keeping their daughters close. Green River Killer: River of Death Stream of Tears Crime Library Lisa L. Yates no time to say goodbye Liked it? Police investigated and later identified this young woman as Wendy Lee Coffield. I baked her a chocolate cake. Were they actually dead? The body of Wendy was recovered and the cause of death was determined to be murder by strangulation using the victim's own clothes. Marta Reeves Born sometime in 1965, Shawnda was one of three children and had a history of prostitution. Theres a certain tie that mothers and daughters have, she said. The body of Wendy was recovered and the cause of death was determined to be murder by strangulation using the victim's own clothes. When her husband answered the door, the two men introduced themselves as detectives from the King County Sheriffs Office in Seattle and asked to speak with Ms. Gaspar. Before long, a policeman arrived at the scene and questioned Ainsworth about his find. A young black woman's face was floating just beneath the surface of the water, her body swaying beneath her with the current. Marcia Chapman and Cynthia Hinds, victims of the Green River Killer. Gisele A. Lovvorn Everybody was a potential friend, she said. Wendy adjusted quickly to her new junior high, falling easily into a group of friends. It was just really strange.. She was known to be a confident free spirit and was a friendly person with a certain charm that gave people the impression that she didnt take herself all that seriously. One by one, detectives began to stitch together the extent of what Mr. Ridgway had done. On August 2nd, 1982, Marcias mother reported her missing. One week later her body . The bar where Ted Bundy abducted Brenda Carol Ball, The street where cop killer Maurice Clemmons was shot dead, The house that 8-year-old Ann Marie Burr was abducted from, The location where mobster Robert DiBernardo was murdered, The location where Dannette and Jeannette Millbrook were last seen, The house from Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986). Never returned. The following spring, a sample of Wendys remains was shipped to a forensics lab in Santa Cruz, Calif. But some unknowns persist. 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. And then all of a sudden youve got two.. On July 15, 1982, two teenage boys discovered the body of Wendy Lee Coffield, age 16, floating the Green River between Kent and Tukwila. On August 4, 1962, Rebecca Marrero was born. Robert Williams last saw his daughter alive on August 10th, 1982, during one of her shifts at a South Seattle barbecue restaurant. Investigators believe she was killed not long after her arrival in Washington. Mary Bridgett Meehan She had run away a few times before when she was living with her father and brother near the Lake Washington Ship Canal in north Seattle. It was a trip he had made on many occasions, yet this time it would be different. She loved everybody. As she moved into her early teens, her mother was struck and at times, frightened by her beauty and free spirit. The two stayed in a small apartment in Washington State. Growing up Opal was a pure hearted, loving child who named the dolls and stuffed animals kept on her bed. Green River murders timeline | HeraldNet.com In 2003, Mr. Ridgway agreed to a plea deal that would spare him the death penalty if he helped investigators find and identify the remaining victims. She remembered the presiding fear. Mary Exzetta West no one will ever know. At one point she said, The same lives that you took seem to be the same lives saving yours. She came for a late birthday celebrationHer birthday was March 29th. 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. Family members linked to this person will appear here. But then she met 27 year old Robert L. Martin, a known drug dealing pimp in the Tacoma area. The remainder of her clothing jeans, underpants and shirt were tightly tied around her neck like a ligature. Thanks for your help! This newspaper clipping is from the Spokesman Review. As manager of this memorial you can add or update the memorial using the Edit button below. The sheer number of women he killed, and over such a long period of time, meant so many unknowns: There were women he confessed to killing whose bodies were found and identified, but what had they endured in their last hours? Sandra was last seen alive on April 17th of 1983 on Pacific Highway South near South 142nd Street. Boys discover body of Green River killer victim Wendy Lee Coffield, age Rule, Ann (2005). Kelly Ware Which memorial do you think is a duplicate of Wendy Coffield (6887254)? CLICK HERE FOR MORE! I had no idea what we were getting into with her talking all the time, she said, laughing. Carol Ann Christensen At Ridgways trial, her sister Michelle gave this moving speech about her sister: Gisele was very much loved by her family and has been missed very much every day for the last 20 years. I remember telling her, Be a little girl for a while. Wendy went to live with her mother, Virginia Coffield. You may not upload any more photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 20 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 5 photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 30 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 15 photos to this memorial. Gary Ridgwaypled guilty to the homicides of the 49people listed below. Her nude body had been found slumped over a log in the Green River. Killing Time - Wendy Lee Coffield was 16 years old and | Facebook He was older and was all too eager to lean on young Gisele for financial support; resulting her to turn to prostitution. Led by a volunteer, Cairenn Binder, a team of five forensic genealogists began building out a family tree. They were both held down by rocks in the water. 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.. 2003 PC affidavit for three additional charges - DocumentCloud Shirley Marie Sherrill Her brother, Terry, stated She still was a human being and she still had family that cared and loved her just like all the other ones had family that cared and loved them. 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. Coffield's body was found in the Green River in 1982 a week after she went missing. A a registered member of the Blackfeet Tribe of Browning, Montana, Carol moved to Grays Harbor, Washington, in 1969. Gary Leon Ridgway pleads guilty to murdering 48 Green River Killer Martina T. Authorlee He agreed to provide complete, truthful and candid information concerning the crimes that he had committed in King County and answer all questions during interviews conducted by the detectives or the prosecuting attorney. 18 year old Shirley Sherrill was once on the drill team and loved to dance. She was just an immature teenager who was trying to find her way in life. You are nearing the transfer limit for memorials managed by Find a Grave. Anyone can read what you share. It was a huge dark cloud over this community, he said. 49 young women with their own hopes, dreams and goals, sniffed out far too soon all because some monster dubbed them disposable for their high risk lifestyles. Rather than give any more attention to Ridgway (and his seemingly endless slew of mommy issues), lets flip the script and shine the spotlight on the lives he stole, focusing on how they lived rather than how they died. To this day, he doesn't like the sight of hair under water. In King County, Wash., among the verdant evergreen forests outside of Seattle, Gary Ridgway, 33, was starting to enact violent fantasies toward women. Within a month, four other bodies were found on the riverbank: Debra Lynn Bonner, Marcia Faye Chapman, Opal Charmaine Mills and Cynthia Jean Hinds. Ridgway's victims | Tacoma News Tribune Kasee Ann Woods Lee Flowers have been left. After giving birth to a healthy baby boy, she put him up for adoption and married a man named Kenneth Mathews, 24, in 1977. During his confession, Ridgway stated that he picked the young girl up on a highway. By 1982 Wendy was working as a sex worker, had multiple run ins with police and was drinking and doing drugs often. Crime Scene Location in Kent, Washington, United States. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account. 17 Apr 1966 - 8 Jul 1982 . By 1991, the task force was reduced to one person: Detective Jensen. They knew that they had to find and catch him as soon as possible before any more women disappeared. The arrested suspect, Gary Leon Ridgway, was a longtime resident of the area. It was going to get much, much higher. When I got that notification, that this was it, that this was Wendy, I cant even tell you, Dr. Taylor said. A mother lost her daughter 40 years ago. 21 year old Carol Ann Christensen was last seen leaving Barn Door Tavern on Pacific Avenue South on May 3rd, 1983. She conceived yet again within a month. 3. Marcia told kids she was going to store, her mother said in the missing-person report. Please complete the captcha to let us know you are a real person. Carrie Ann Rois Our investigation continued for decades. She was born in June of 1965. His first victim is believed to be 16 year old Wendy Lee Coffield. On Aug. 12, 1982, detectives found Debbie Bonner, 23, in the Green River. Victims Spotlight: Remembering the Victims of the Green River Killer, She was described as cheerful, outgoing and someone who could take care of herself. She was the Princess. From the time she was born, my main job, always, was to look after Opal and keep her safe Garrett recalled Opal wanting to be rich one day so she can take care of their mother and buy her a large house, Even when she was seven, she struck me as someone who cared about others more than herself., Opal was a bright student who dreamed of being a model some day. Andrea M. Childers Debbie May Abernathy Cecile Gaspar wasnt home when the men first showed up. No farewell words were spoken They were human beings., That summer, Wendy Stephens disappeared for the better part of a month. ). When she returned, she acted like nothing was wrong, nothing had taken place, she hadnt been absent, Ms. Gaspar said. You have all the time to be a grown-up with all those problems. But she wanted to be an adult so bad.. Wendy Lee Coffield (1966-1982) - Find a Grave Memorial Details of the Washington State County where the killer roamed unabated are revealed. The police detectives at the scene quickly realized that there was a serial killer on the loose. By 1982 Gail was living on welfare, moving from one friends house to the next and trying to see her daughter as much as possible. Ridgway's first confirmed victim was 16-year-old Wendy Lee Coffield who was living in foster care and working as a sex worker. (Photo by Kurt Smith, copyright MOHAI, Seattle Post-Intelligencer Collection, 2000.107), Members of an Explorer Search & Rescue unit comb a field north of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. They got Wendys dental records and a full DNA profile, which they entered into CODIS, the F.B.I.s DNA database. The last time Kenneth saw his wife was sometime in 1982, when she dropped off their daughter for the last time. Wendy had run away from home 36 years prior, and Ms. Gaspar had long since stopped waiting for a call. We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. 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. 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. CreditPhoto Illustration by Aubrey Trinnaman for The New York Times. WENDY LEE COFFIELD - Stolen Lives Thus began one of the longest and largest serial murder investigations in United States history. Dub quickly became infatuated with Martin, who made her happy enough for Dub to willfully work the streets to support him. Anthony McNabb, got right to the point: Theyd come with news about Ms. Gaspars daughter, Wendy. However, Hinds was believed to have been in the river for a period of only several days. If you notice a problem with the translation, please send a message to [emailprotected] and include a link to the page and details about the problem. Things were finally looking up. At some point Gail began working as a sex worker. Ridgeway was charged with the murder of Wendy in April of 2003. Green River, Running Red: The Real Story of the Green River Killer - America's Deadliest Serial Murderer, Pocket Star. 3 Unidentified victims. The 16-year-old was found floating underneath this bridge. Before her disappearance, Wendy was, in her mothers words, a magical kid. Born on Oct. 10, 1968, she was the only daughter of Ms. Gaspar and her then-husband, Charles Stephens (who died in 2014). Failed to report flower. A Portland native, Denise was an experienced and fairly cautious sex worker who often traveled to Seattle, where the money was better, to work. Use Escape keyboard button or the Close button to close the carousel. They struggled financially, often living in many low-income housing units and tents, and would pick blackberries in the fields during the summer in order to afford food. Giselle enjoyed the Charlie Daniels Band and collected antique Jack Daniels whiskey labels. Wendy Stephens, formally known as Jane Doe B-10 or Bones 10, was Gary Ridgways youngest known victim and was only recently identified in January of 2021. When the police recovered Coffield's remains from the water, they had no idea that this was just the beginning of a nightmare that would stretch on for more than a decade. And there would be no forethought. Try again later. 2. . Terry Renee Milligan Maureen Sue Feeney Until investigators knocked on her door, she had no idea what had happened. you were gone before I knew it, Way too much true crime. Lisa L. Yates We were aware of the lifestyle Sandra lived but she was still a part of our family. The inset photograph in the top right-hand corner shows the police removing her body from the river. Coffield, The Seattle Times says, had been discovered on July 15 of the same year, and by August 16, the body count had risen to five. Her last phone call had been to her brother on August 12th, 1982 asking for a ride. The next day, more bones were discovered nearby; both were soon confirmed to be victims of the Green River Killer. Born February 5th, 1959, Gail Mathews grew up much too fast. Body found in Green River July 15, 1982, near Kent. Its something that only you can experience within yourself., In early 2021, Ms. Gaspar received Wendys ashes, which she scattered near her home in Colorado. Carol Ann Christensen Pammy Avent Sandra D. Major Her body was found July 15, by two teenage boys riding their bikes across the bridge of the Green River, Wendy was under the Peck Bridge. However, after wading out to take a closer look, they saw human hair and a jacket. Then, remarkably, DNA profiling arrived on the scene, revolutionizing criminal investigations and leading to the first breakthrough in the Green River Killer case in years. Pictured: Man in his 30s stabbed to death in knife rampage outside Theclay reconstructions were done by National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) to assist us in identifying the women. Soliciting sex made it possible to live a lifestyle of traveling and being able to purchase heroinWhile Dub would go to the streets looking for business, Carl would spend time lurking in the taverns in Tacoma., The couple lived out of various motels as they traveled up and down the West Coast working the circuit. For more details, please read our Privacy & Cookie Policy. 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. 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. Ridgway was also expected to "provide complete, truthful and candid information concerning the crimes he had committed in King County." DNA analysis, however, didnt turn out to be the solution investigators had hoped. He was hazy on the details, but said he thought he had picked Wendy up near a K.F.C. We never heard from her again and did not know what happened to herWe respectfully ask that the media allow us privacy.. Remove advertising from a memorial by sponsoring it for just $5. Then on July 15, 1982, two boys discovered in the Green River the body of a 16-year-old, Wendy Lee Coffield, whod gone missing a week earlier. Revised December 2, 2001, The Free Encyclopedia of Washington State History. On July 15, 1982, the body of Wendy Lee Coffield was found in the Green River. We received a letter from her in 1982 with a Seattle postmark but no return address. Its not anything that were privy to in our small but tangible realm. The victim, Wendy Lee Coffield, was a troubled teen who had experienced few joys in life before she was strangled with her panties and tossed into the river. She was so young and died before she ever really got to live, she said. Call (collect if necessary): 206-263-2130, Call between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. to arrange to speak with a detective. Her remains were found July 15, 1982. She was only 15 years old. 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 -. A former resident of Walla Walla, Washington, Alma dropped out of school at 17 and went back and forth between Seattle, where her father lived, and Walla Walla, where her mother resided. Kimi-Kai whose name translated to golden sea at dawn in Hawaiian was described by her mother as an adventurous girl who loved unicorns and anything purple. 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. It was believed that she had been murdered within 24 hours of her discovery. The only one it hurt was herself.. There was such a high volume of victims, she said in an interview before her death. Though detectives didnt know it at the time, Ms. Coffields murder was the beginning of a long, nightmarish chapter for King County with Mr. Ridgway, then a nameless specter, at the center. She was last seen on October 8th on her way to get cigarettes at a nearby convince store. Then, late in the afternoon on March 21, 1984, the King County Sheriffs Office got a call. They came by again while she was out. They were young, mostly teenagers or in their early 20s. She was going through those rebellious ages, said Ms. Gaspar, who was at a loss for what had caused the sudden change, aside from a new, more freewheeling set of friends. On Aug 15, 1982, Robert Ainsworth, who was on a routine trip down the river, which he took many times, saw something in the water. Wendy Lee Coffield Flowers have been left. The oldest of three daughters, Shirley grew up in a tightknit family and was working as a sex worker by 1982. Search above to list available cemeteries. Just a month earlier, another young girl, identified as Wendy Lee Coffield, was found strangled and floating in the Green River. Marie was popular around customers for being so friendly. We have set your language to A system error has occurred. On July 15, 1982, two teenage boys, who live in nearby Kent, Washington, spot a body in the Green River floating against the Meeker Street Bridge. One can only assume that they may have had a lack of financial resources and that their low socioeconomic status may have contributed to Dubs future course of life. Dub seemed to have a good relationship with her parents but things were tense by July of 1982. 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. 4. Becky Marrero Case Study #2 Serial Killers - Gary Ridgway.docx - 1 Case She was one of those people you meet that would be like, Thats too much information!. Within a month, five bodies of young women had been discovered in and along the Green River. My mind had gone in a lot of different directions, she said. The Shadow Girls begins with the GRK's very first found victim, Wendy Lee Coffield in July of 1982. Murder Victim. The next day, Ms. Gaspars parents and sister came to visit from Phoenix. In April of 2003, Ridgway was accused of murdering Wendy Lee Coffield, Debra Lynn Bonner, and Debra Estes. JOSHUA GUNTHER COMPTON and MASON WALKER JONES, JUANITA DENEA NICOLE RENEE CASTLEBERRY-BESS, LILIANA CASAS-RIOS, KATHRINNE RIOS, and THANNYA RIOS, JESSICA NICOLE and MACKENZIE DAWN SULLIVAN BUTTS, CHRISTOPHER & KYLEIGH HAMM & AUSTIN BROWN, RYAN PATRICK BELLAR and ZACK JAMES BELLAR, BRYAN, DANIEL, DIANE BARNETT and JAVON NELSON. The sponsor of a memorial may add an additional. Unfortunately there is little information available on 23 year old Denise Bush. To avoid the death penalty, Ridgway agreed to plead guilty to every murder he had committed in King County. . The body was that of Wendy Lee Coffield, a dropout and runaway. And, unbeknownst to her family, Marie was also a sex worker. We thought: This is great. Within a month, fourother bodies were found on the riverbank:Debra Lynn Bonner, Marcia Faye Chapman, Opal Charmaine Mills and Cynthia Jean Hinds. Within a half hour, he noticed a man with two children on bicycles. This is a carousel with slides. Opal Charmaine Mills The bridge is close to Riverfront Park. According to Smith and Guillen's book, The Search for the Green River Killer, the man standing then asked Ainsworth if he found anything, to which Ainsworth replied, "Just this old singletree." Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. As is the case for many young women, Wendy Lee Coffield began acting out pretty much the moment she hit puberty. Are you sure that you want to delete this photo? Most of these and subsequent victims had a history of prostitution and of run-ins with the law. Because the first victims were in or near the Green River, the killer became known as the Green River Killer. We talked while she was there, Ms. Gaspar recalled.
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