She had been killed by ligature strangulation. She was also a devoted fan of the band The Grateful Dead. By 1991, the task force was reduced to one person: Detective Jensen. Alma Smith was only 18 years old when she disappeared. i 13| Essentially, Coffield was naked, with the exceptionofher shoes and socks. Wendy Lee Coffield, 16, July 8, 1982, at state receiving home, Tacoma. 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. Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? She was one of those people you meet that would be like, Thats too much information!. Her life took a major detour when she became pregnant in middle school. By 1982 Debbie decided to leave her family home, stole $250 from her mothers purse and began living in various motels with an older boyfriend/pimp; whether or not he knew she was underage isnt known. The officer disbelievingly walked into the shallow river and reached out toward the ghostly form. The next day, Ms. Gaspars parents and sister came to visit from Phoenix. 4. As is the case for many young women, Wendy Lee Coffield began acting out pretty much the moment she hit puberty. She was everybodys dream of a kid, she said. Linda Rule The body of Wendy was recovered and the cause of death was determined to be murder by strangulation using the victim's own clothes. Sandra was last seen alive on April 17th of 1983 on Pacific Highway South near South 142nd Street. Lisa L. Yates A timeline of the Green River killings, and the arrest and prosecution of Gary Leon Ridgway: July 15, 1982: Body of Wendy Lee Coffield, 16, Puyallup, found in the Green River south of Seattle. Ridgway was arrested Nov. 30, 2001 for investigation of. The two girls found in the water, later identified as Marcia Chapman, 31, and Cynthia Hinds, 17, were both found to have pyramid-shaped rocks lodged in their vaginal cavities. She loved the band so much that she followed their concerts all over the country. Learn more about managing a memorial . 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. It was not believed that the Green River Killer murdered Wilcox, but the opinion of the investigators has been recently challenged. The Shadow Girls begins with the GRK's very first found victim, Wendy Lee Coffield in July of 1982. Gail decided not to go, instead announcing she would go to work so that they can keep their motel room for a few more nights. For how many years, decades, I would not know how to answer that simple, innocent question., One night, five or so years after Wendys disappearance, Ms. Gaspar sat up in bed with a deep conviction. Failed to report flower. Never returned. Eventually, the deaths of at least 48 women would be linked to the Green River killer. Some of them had histories of prostitution, and many were last seen along Pacific Highway South near Sea-Tac airport. November 5, 2003: Gary Leon Ridgway pled guilty to 48 counts of Aggravated Murder in the First Degree. She gave lessons and she was very good, and she taught dance exercise.. After years of inactivity, detectives hoped to finally put names to the remaining unidentified bones. Her body was found by two teenage boys riding their bikes across the bridge of the Green River, Wendy was under the Peck Bridge. Wendy adjusted quickly to her new junior high, falling easily into a group of friends. Delise Louise Plager One week later her body . . Evergreen Cemetery. Then, late in the afternoon on March 21, 1984, the King County Sheriffs Office got a call. 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). Roberta Hays Two boys riding their bicycles across a bridge spotted the tennis shoes first of fully clothed body. Click Here!! 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. Most of these and subsequent victims had a history of prostitution and of run-ins with the law. It is impossible to put into words how much her murder has devastated and destroyed my family. This flower has been reported and will not be visible while under review. The two separated soon after, but Ms. Gaspar, 17 at the time, said raising Wendy as a single, teenage mother was surprisingly easy. Investigators believe she was killed not long after her arrival in Washington. This account has been disabled. Patricia Yellowrobe This is the first of 49 bodies found of suspected victims of a serial killer. Wendy was 16 years old and last seen on July 8, 1982 in the Tacoma, Washington area. GreenRiverKillings. Verify and try again. She loved writing. Mary was almost eight months pregnant when she went missing near the Western Six Motel on September 15th, 1983. They were somebodys sister, somebodys mother, in some instances. We were aware of the lifestyle Sandra lived but she was still a part of our family. A few days later, a tattoo artist came forward to say that he recognized them. Coffield's body was found in the Green River in 1982 a week after she went missing. One by one, detectives began to stitch together the extent of what Mr. Ridgway had done. 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. You have all the time to be a grown-up with all those problems. But she wanted to be an adult so bad.. However, Hinds was believed to have been in the river for a period of only several days. She sometimes said that it would be better for the baby if her mother adopted Shaunt. June 2003:In exchange for the prosecutor not seeking the death penalty, Ridgway agreed to plead guilty to all murders that he committed in King County. Debra Lynn Bonner A California native, Gail moved to Washington in 1975 to live with friends. Opal Mills, victim of the Green River Killer. Debra Lynn Bonner Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. We received a letter from her in 1982 with a Seattle postmark but no return address. But it seemed absurd that her daughter could be the victim of a serial killer. When she returned, she acted like nothing was wrong, nothing had taken place, she hadnt been absent, Ms. Gaspar said. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account. Are you sure that you want to report this flower to administrators as offensive or abusive? At the park, just off Des Moines Memorial Drive, detectives followed the man to a swampy area outside the diamond where they found the rest of the remains. no time to say goodbye Within a month, four other bodies were found on the riverbank: Debra Lynn Bonner, Marcia Faye Chapman, Opal Charmaine Mills and Cynthia Jean Hinds. Her nude body had been found slumped over a log in the Green River. Wendy Lee Coffield Alma Ann Smith April 2003: Ridgway was charged with three additional murders (Wendy Lee Coffield, Debra Lynn Bonner and Debra Estes). Within hours of Sandras last known sighting, 16 year old Kimi-Kai Pitsor was seen for the last time in Downtown Seattle. cemeteries found within miles of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. She was trying to make money to buy Christmas presents for her family. The latitude and longitude coordinates for the bridge are: To view directions on how to get there, you can use the Google Maps shortcut below: Meeker Street BridgeWest Meeker StreetKentWashingtonWA 98032United States. Are you sure that you want to delete this flower? Within a month, fourother bodies were found on the riverbank:Debra Lynn Bonner, Marcia Faye Chapman, Opal Charmaine Mills and Cynthia Jean Hinds. On August 2nd, 1982, Marcias mother reported her missing. 2. . Just a month earlier, another young girl, identified as Wendy Lee Coffield, was found strangled and floating in the Green River. Around the country, Mr. Ridgways sentencing brought renewed attention to the investigation. According to this newspaper article in the Tacoma News Tribune, Coffield was partially clothed. April 2003: Ridgway was charged with three additional murders (Wendy Lee Coffield, Debra Lynn Bonner and Debra Estes). Back at home, Wendys parents attempted to implement punishments, but Wendy was too strong-willed, short-tempered, and impulsive for them to make a difference. DNA analysis, however, didnt turn out to be the solution investigators had hoped. Try again later. A Portland native, Denise was an experienced and fairly cautious sex worker who often traveled to Seattle, where the money was better, to work. You can set your cookie preferences below. Found September 25, 1982, south of airport. Below, you will find the address and the GPS coordinates for this location. Seconds later he saw another floating corpse of a half nude black woman, partially submerged in the water. Green River taskforce photos from Seattle P-I archives Wendy Lee Coffield, 16, disappeared July 8, 1982. They stopped on the bridge over the Green River to rest. Delores Lavern Williams Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. Though she only discussed these things with people she was very close with. Colleen Renee Brockman Kimi Kai Pitsor You are nearing the transfer limit for memorials managed by Find a Grave. You can customize the cemeteries you volunteer for by selecting or deselecting below. Officials remove the body of 16-year-old Wendy Lee Coffield from the Green River on July 15, 1982. To this day, he doesn't like the sight of hair under water. It would have been her second day on the job. Wendy had run away from home 36 years prior, and Ms. Gaspar had long since stopped waiting for a call. 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. It was obvious that she had died from asphyxiation. Becky Marrero Free Horror Movies Watch 600+ Horror Movies! When 16 year old Linda left her motel room on the afternoon of September 26th, 1982, she appeared to be in a good mood. After giving birth to a healthy baby boy, she put him up for adoption and married a man named Kenneth Mathews, 24, in 1977. We Want To Finance Your Film. By 12 she would often run away from home after fights with her parents. Shes invisible to us, but we can see her impact on the genetic networks that were working on.. She was later identified as Opal Mills, 16. Shirley Marie Sherrill His first victim is believed to be 16 year old Wendy Lee Coffield. An Arizona native, 31 year old Marcia- who was known as Tiny by her friends- was a single mother of three children (ages 11, 9 and 3 as of 1982) who turned to sex work to support them; she refused the services of a pimp for protection, that way she wouldnt have to share her earnings. Her reason for doing so was never disclosed. Despite Sandra turning to sex work to support them, they were barely able to afford motel rooms and fast food. Because the first victims were in or near the Green River, the killer became known as the Green River Killer. The arrested suspect, Gary Leon Ridgway, was a longtime resident of the area. Shawnda Leea Summers Her remains were found July 15, 1982. For more information, please read our Privacy & Cookie Policy. 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. The body is later identified as Wendy Lee Coffield, who was 16 years old. Please try again later. He found a third body, that of a young girl who was partially clothed. Looked like a body. Within a half hour, he noticed a man with two children on bicycles. I was like, OK, well, they dont need that, and Im not getting what I need there.. Tina Marie Thompson Ms. Gaspar sought professional help for her daughter, hoping counseling could elicit answers: Where did she go? You may request to transfer up to 250,000 memorials managed by Find a Grave. Colleen was last seen alive on December 28th, 1982. Within a month, four other bodies were found on the riverbank: Debra Lynn Bonner, Marcia Faye Chapman, Opal Charmaine Mills and Cynthia Jean Hinds. On November 30, 2001, a suspect, Gary Leon Ridgway, 52, a longtime resident of the area, will be arrested. We use cookies to deliver personalized advertisements, improve your online experience, and to analyze our site's performance. Despite the counseling she was receiving, Alma returned to prostitution and left the center. As the winter of 1982-83 wore on, Ms. Gaspar did her best to keep track of her daughter. She was last seen on the Sea-Tac Strip on July 17th, 1982. Marie Malvar English On July 15, 1982, the body of Wendy Lee Coffield was found in the Green River.

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