the Green River Killer later identified as Gary Ridgeway was a notorious American serial killer responsible for the murders of at least 49 women primarily in the Seattle Washington area during the 1980s and 1990s he is one of the most prolific serial killers in US history Gary Ridgeway was born on February 18th 1949 in Salt Lake City Utah he led an apparently normal life working as a truck painter however beneath this facade Ridgeway harbored violent tendencies and a deep-seated hatred for women particularly sex workers the first victims attributed to the Green River Killer were discovered in the early 1980s the bodies were often found in or near the Green River giving the killer his moniker