SEATTLE, Washington — After four decades, the teenage girl killed by the Green River serial killer in Washington state has been identified by authorities. Lori Anne Razpotnik was just 15 when she ran away from her home in Lewis County in 1982 and was never seen by her family again.
The remains of Razpotnik were discovered in 1985 over a road embankment in Auburn, south of Seattle, alongside the remains of two other victims. Two of the victims from the site remained unidentified until recently. Bones 16 was identified through DNA testing in 2012 as Sandra Majors, and the identity of Bones 17 remained unknown until a forensic genetic genealogy firm, Virginia-based Parabon Nanolabs, was able to determine they belonged to Razpotnik. Razpotnik’s mother provided a DNA sample that confirmed the results, the King County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release Tuesday.
Gary Ridgway, also known as the Green River Killer, was linked to the killings through DNA evidence in 2001, eventually leading investigators to the site where the three victims had been found. Ridgway pleaded guilty to the killings in 2003, as many of his victims were young female runaways or sex workers. In 2011, Ridgway pleaded guilty to a 49th count of murder after another set of remains was discovered. He is currently serving life without the possibility of parole at the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla.
The identification of Razpotnik after all these years brings closure to her family, shedding light on a dark chapter in Washington state’s history and ensuring that the victims are remembered and honored. This discovery also showcases the advancements in forensic genealogy and DNA testing, providing hope for other unsolved cases.