According to reports, “Green River Killer” Gary Ridgway was booked into the King County Jail in Washington state on Monday morning, but the reason for his transfer is unclear.
Fox 13 The Seattle newspaper reported that Ridgway, who pleaded guilty in 2003 to killing 49 women in King County between 1982 and 1998, was booked into the jail on an institutional hold set up by the King County Sheriff's Office just after 10:40 a.m.
The notorious serial killer was serving 49 consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole at the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla.
The transfer to a lower-level prison has raised questions, but authorities have not provided details about why Ridgway was transferred.
'Green River Killer' victim identified as runaway teen from Washington state
Gary Ridgway prepares to leave the courtroom after being sentenced in King County Superior Court, Washington, in Seattle, on December 18, 2003. (Josh Trujillo Pool/Getty Images)
Fox News Digital has reached out to the King County Prosecutor's Office for comment.
In November 2003, Ridgway pleaded guilty to the murders of “Bones #20,” Dennis Bush, Shirley Sherrill, and 45 other victims. He later pleaded guilty to the murder of a 49th victim.
Throughout the 1980s, Ridgway spread fear and terror throughout Washington state. He was convicted of murdering 49 women, but confessed to 71 more murders. However, investigators believe he may have murdered many more victims.
This is why Ted Bundy became interested in Green River killer Gary Ridgway, Doctor says: “The concerns were real.”
An undated photo distributed by the King County Prosecutor's Office shows Green River killer Gary Ridgway sitting in the back seat of a car as he leads investigators to one of the locations where he allegedly buried one of his victims. (King County Prosecutor's Office via Getty Images)
In December, authorities identified one of the victims as 15-year-old Lori Ann Raspotnick, who ran away from her Lewis County home in 1982.
Raspotnik's body was discovered in a road bank in Auburn, south of Seattle, in 1985, along with the bodies of two other victims. Investigators were unable to identify the victims, so the bodies were recorded as “Bones 16” and “Bones 17.”
DNA evidence identifies final Green River murder victim after 40 years
Green River murderer Gary Ridgway listens to his arraignment hearing on murder charges for the 1982 killing of Rebecca “Becky” Marrero at the King County Regional Justice Center in Kent, Washington. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson/File)
Bones 16 was identified as Sandra Majors through DNA testing in 2012, but Bones 17's identity remained unknown until Parabon NanoLabs, a Virginia-based forensic genetic genealogy company, created a new DNA profile that matched Raspotnik's.
According to the King County Sheriff's Office, Raspotnik's mother provided a DNA sample, which confirmed the results.
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After authorities linked Gary Ridgway to the murders through DNA testing in 2001, he guided them to the scene where the three victims were found.
Bones 16 and 17 were among the 48 murders he pleaded guilty to in 2003. Many of his victims were young female runaways and sex workers.
Fox News Digital's Stephanie Price and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
