38-Year-Old Mystery Solved: Green River Killer Victim Identified as Lori Anne Razpotnik

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

Authorities revealed that Razpotnik, who was just 15 years old, was last seen by her family in 1982 when she ran away from her home in Lewis County. The breakthrough in this case came when, on December 30, 1985, city employees in Auburn discovered Razpotnik’s remains along with those of another woman while inspecting a car over an embankment. This discovery prompted the intervention of King County’s Green River Task Force.

The killer behind this heinous crime spree was none other than the infamous Gary Ridgway, also known as the “Green River Killer.” In 2002, Ridgway led investigators to the same location where Razpotnik’s remains were found and admitted to harboring his victims there. This confession came a year after Ridgway was arrested for the murders of five young women in the Seattle area. By November 2003, the number of his confirmed victims quickly rose to 49, although he claimed to have killed 71.

The identification of Lori Anne Razpotnik marks a significant milestone for investigators, as it brings them closer to identifying almost all the women and teenage girls for whom Ridgway was convicted of murder in the 1980s and 1990s. Up until this week, Razpotnik was known as “Bones 17,” while the other woman found alongside her, known as “Bones 16,” was previously identified through DNA testing as Sandra Denise Majors, a 20-year-old from Seattle.

This long-awaited identification also brings a sense of closure for Razpotnik’s mother, Donna Hurley, who is now 76 years old. Hurley played a crucial role in confirming her daughter’s DNA with the help of forensic genealogists, using a saliva sample. In an emotional interview with The New York Times on Wednesday, Hurley described her daughter as an energetic and intelligent child, although running away was not uncommon before her disappearance.

Before the identification of Lori Anne Razpotnik, the last victim to be identified was Wendy Stephens, a 14-year-old from Denver. It took investigators 38 years to identify Stephens, whose remains were found in the Seattle area back in 1982. However, there are still several remains discovered in 2003 that remain unidentified.

Gary Ridgway pleaded guilty to the murders of Lori Anne Razpotnik and 48 other young women in 2003. He is currently serving 49 consecutive life sentences in Washington state for his heinous crimes.