Green River Killer Victim Identified as Washington State Teenager Lori Anne Razpotnik

SEATTLE (CN) — After 38 years, investigators have finally identified one of the last unknown victims of the notorious Green River Killer through DNA testing. The victim has been identified as Lori Anne Razpotnik, a teenager from Washington state, the King County Sheriff’s Office announced on Tuesday.

According to authorities, Razpotnik was last seen by her family in 1982 when she ran away from her home in Lewis County. Three years later, on December 30, 1985, city employees in Auburn discovered the remains of Razpotnik and another woman while investigating a car over an embankment. This discovery prompted the involvement of the Green River Task Force in King County.

In 2002, American serial killer Gary Ridgway, famously known as the “Green River Killer,” led investigators to the same location and confessed to placing his victims there. Prior to this confession, Ridgway had already been arrested for the murders of five young women in the Seattle area. By November 2003, the number of his confirmed victims had quickly grown to 49, although he claimed to have killed 71.

The identification of Lori Anne Razpotnik marks a significant milestone for investigators, bringing them closer to identifying nearly all the women and teenage girls that Ridgway was convicted of killing in the 1980s and 1990s. Prior to this week, Razpotnik was referred to as “Bones 17,” while the other woman found at the same location had been identified through DNA testing as Sandra Denise Majors, a 20-year-old from Seattle.

For Razpotnik’s mother, Donna Hurley, 76, the identification of her daughter brings some closure. Hurley assisted forensic genealogists in confirming her daughter’s DNA through a saliva sample. In an interview with the New York Times, Hurley described her daughter as a vibrant and intelligent child, although running away had become a common occurrence before her disappearance.

Before the identification of Razpotnik, the most recent victim to be identified was Wendy Stephens, a 14-year-old from Denver. Stephens’ remains were found in the Seattle area in 2020, 38 years after her murder. However, one set of remains discovered in 2003 still remains unidentified.

In 2003, Ridgway pleaded guilty to the murder of Lori Anne Razpotnik and 48 other young women. He is currently serving 49 consecutive life sentences in Washington state.