(CNN) — The remains of an Oregon teenager missing for more than 25 years were recently identified by authorities, and police are looking into whether she might have been a victim of Gary Ridgway, known as the “Green River Killer.”
Police believe Ridgway could be responsible for the death of Angela Marie Girdner because her body was found within a mile of the remains of two other women that Ridgway admitted killing, the county sheriff’s office said. Those bodies were found in Washington County, Oregon, near Portland. The bodies of Ridgway’s other 46 victims were found in the Seattle, Washington, area.
The most prolific known serial killer in U.S. history, Ridgway is serving 48 consecutive life sentences. He has denied involvement in Girdner’s death, as well as that of Tammie Liles, whose remains were found near Girdner’s.
The Green River case takes its name from a river south of Seattle where Ridgway began dumping his victims in 1982. Most of the women were prostitutes. Ridgway has said he targeted prostitutes “because I thought I could kill as many as I wanted without getting caught.” He said he killed because he hated prostitutes and didn’t want to pay them for sex, and claimed he killed so many women he had a hard time keeping them straight
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Filed under: Law Enforcement, Violence |
Bound, Not Gagged 
It should be noted that the criminalization of prostitution which has been aggressively advocated by conservative feminists like Donna Hughes and Melissa Farley empowers men like Gary Leon Ridgway. Because prostitutes under a criminalized system can not go to the police when an act of violence has been perpetrated against them, or when they know of or suspect a possible Green River Killer, all prostitutes and any others the serial killer victimizes are at further risk. And law enforcement’s ability to gather what could be valuable information from prostitutes regarding future Green River Killer types is hindered.
Had prostitution not been criminalized and therefore stigmatized it is possible to probable the Green River Killings would have been viewed as a much higher priority by the police and many of the victims may still be alive today. Conservative feminist prohibitionist activists including Donna Hughes fought and recently won a battle to create the same criminalized environment in Rhode Island that existed and exists in Washington that gave so much power to Gary Ridgway and created much of the dynamic that allowed him to kill without fear of being caught.
Donna Hughes and conservative prohibitionist feminists proclaimed often and loudly that bringing criminalization to indoor prostitution would protect women and girls……… It was a criminal act in Washington during the time of the Green River Killer……….. Need I say more?
Great timing on finding these remains. Anyone get a press release out about Dec 17 to papers in Oregon?
I think you’ve found a new slogan Jill: prostitution abolitionists = empowering killers. Maybe not the catchiest of phrases, but I think these women should realize where their actions really lead.
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When this happens in Rhode Island, Donna Hughes will you be there to take responsibility for your actions?
There are very good points made here. If prostitution is criminalized, prostitutes will fear going to the police when they are victimized by criminals for fear that they will be arrested.
There is little more that can be done to empower serial killers and traffickers than the criminalization of prostitution. Certainly, Donna Hughes and her CAT allies gave traffickers an early christmas gift in Rhode Island. Their actions to pressure the Rhode Island Legislature into criminalizing prostitution effectively eliminated access to the legal system for those victimized in prostitution. Many lives are now at risk in Rhode Island due to the misguided and ill informed actions of CAT and Donna Hughes.