Authorities in King County, Washington, have recently identified the remains of a teenager who was killed by the notorious "Green River Killer" nearly four decades ago. The remains, known as Bones 17, were discovered near Seattle in 1985, but remained unidentified until this week. The victim has now been identified as Lori Anne Razpotnik, a 15-year-old girl who went missing from her family's home in Lewis County in 1982.

Razpotnik's remains were found alongside another set of unidentified remains, known as Bones 16, in the city of Auburn. The discovery was made after police were called to investigate a car over an embankment. The Green River Task Force, which was set up to investigate a series of bodies found along the Green River in Washington state in the early 1980s, was called in to oversee the investigation. However, the remains were not identified at the time.

It wasn't until 2002 that the Green River Killer, Gary Ridgway, led investigators to the location where Bones 16 and Bones 17 were found. Ridgway, who was linked to the killings through DNA evidence, admitted to placing the victims there. He pleaded guilty to the murders of these two victims, as well as 46 other women and girls, in 2003. Ridgway is currently serving life without parole at the Walla Walla State Penitentiary.

In 2012, DNA testing helped identify Bones 16 as the remains of Sandra Majors. This week, authorities announced the positive identification of Bones 17 as Lori Anne Razpotnik. Advanced DNA testing done by Parabon Nanolabs, a forensic genetic genealogy firm based in Virginia, played a crucial role in identifying the victim. The lab developed a new DNA profile and compared it to a saliva sample provided by Razpotnik's mother, which confirmed the match.

The King County Sheriff's Office expressed gratitude for the work done by Parabon Nanolabs, the University of North Texas, and various law enforcement agencies involved in identifying Razpotnik. The identification of the victim brings closure to her family after nearly four decades of uncertainty.

The Green River Killer, Gary Ridgway, earned his moniker from dumping many of his victims' bodies in the Green River, south of Seattle. While most of his victims were found near Seattle, some were discovered in Oregon. Ridgway's first murder victims were found in 1982, and he was finally arrested in 2001. In 2003, he pleaded guilty to 48 counts of aggravated murder in the first degree. Three victims remain unidentified, and three others who went missing in the early 1980s are still being sought by authorities. Ridgway was not charged in their disappearances.

The identification of Lori Anne Razpotnik serves as a reminder of the heinous crimes committed by the Green River Killer and the ongoing efforts to bring closure to the families of his victims. Authorities continue to investigate the case and urge anyone with information to come forward.