The last known body in the Green River murder case was identified by the King County Sheriff's Office nearly 40 years after the victim was last seen.
The partial body was discovered in 2003, but there was no way to confirm its identity, so it was labeled “Bones 20.” However, the remains were finally identified after extensive investigation and testing by Osram, a sequencing laboratory specializing in forensic genetic genealogy.
Forensic scientists conducted tests on Bones 20, created a DNA profile, and were able to identify the victim's remains as Tammy Lyles. Lyles was first identified as the victim in 1988 after being matched with another set of dental records. His body was discovered near Tigard, Oregon.
In 1985, the bodies of two unidentified women were found near the Tualatin Golf Course near Tigard, Oregon, according to a press release from the King County Sheriff's Office. The women were identified as Lyles Gardner and Angela Gardner.
'Green River Killer' victim identified as runaway girl from Washington
“Bones #20” was identified as Tammy Lyles, one of the last known victims of the Green River Murders. (Kings County Sheriff's Office)
Gary Ridgway, also known as the Green River Killer, initially denied killing Lyles and Gardner, but eventually led detectives to the scene, where he claimed he had left the victims' bodies. Investigators were able to find some bones and some teeth that they could not identify at the time.
Ridgway eventually admitted to moving some of the victims' remains from King County to Tigard, helping investigators piece together partial remains.
Suspected Washington serial killer induces victims to die by promising to find 'buried treasure': DOCS
Green River Homicide Detective Dave Reichert said death row inmate Ted Bundy (left) wrote a letter to the task force. DNA later proved that Gary Ridgway (right) was the killer. (Getty Images)
In November 2003, Ridgway pleaded guilty to murdering “Bones #20,” Dennis Bush, Shirley Sherrill, and 45 other victims. He later also pleaded guilty to the murder of the 49th victim.
Throughout the 1980s, Ridgway terrorized and instilled fear throughout the state of Washington. He was convicted of murdering 49 women, but he confessed to 71 murders. However, investigators believe he killed more victims.
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Gary Ridgway prepares to leave the courtroom where he was sentenced in King County Washington Superior Court on December 18, 2003 in Seattle, Washington. Ridgway was sentenced to 48 life sentences without the possibility of parole for killing 48 women over the past 20 years as part of the Green River Killer murder spree. (Josh Trujillo Pool/Getty Images)
Ridgway is currently serving a life sentence at the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla.
