The King's County Sheriff's Office (KCSO) announced on Monday that the remains of the last-known victim of the Green River Killer have been identified as Tammie Liles, a Washington State teen. This identification brings closure to the case, as there are no other unidentified remains associated with the Green River killings, according to the sheriff's office.

The partial remains, referred to as "Bones 20," were initially discovered in 2003 when serial killer Gary Ridgway, also known as the Green River Killer, led detectives to the location where he claimed to have left a victim's body. However, due to the lack of immediate identification, the remains were labeled as "Bones 20." In the fall of 2022, the KCSO contracted with the Texas-based Othram lab to build a DNA profile from the remains using forensic genetics genealogy testing. In August 2023, the lab tentatively identified the remains as Tammie Liles, and this finding was later confirmed using a DNA sample from Liles' mother.

Tammie Liles was just 16 years old when she went missing from downtown Seattle in June 1983. She was later identified through dental records as one of the two unidentified women whose remains were discovered near Tigard, Oregon, in 1985. Since 1988, Liles had been considered one of Ridgway's potential victims. The Seattle Times reported that Liles' family does not wish to speak to the media, and King County Sheriff Patricia Cole-Tindall has requested that the family be granted privacy during this time.

Gary Ridgway, now 74 years old, was responsible for strangling dozens of women and girls in the Seattle area during the 1980s and 1990s. He became the prime suspect in the Green River killings, named after the waterway where the first victims were found, and in 2001, he was linked to the crime spree through DNA evidence. Ridgway eventually pleaded guilty to 49 counts of first-degree murder, including the death of the unidentified woman known as Bones 20. He is currently serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole at the Washington State Penitentiary.

Just last month, authorities identified another previously unidentified Green River victim as 15-year-old Lori Anne Rotzpotnik. With the identification of Tammie Liles, all 49 of Gary Ridgway's victims have now been identified. However, there may still be other unknown victims waiting to be identified, according to Dave Reichert with the sheriff's office. Ridgway claimed to have killed 65 to 70 young women and girls, and while he has pleaded guilty to 49 murders and 51 cases have been closed, there are still unsolved cases that may or may not be connected to him.

The identification of Tammie Liles brings a sense of relief to law enforcement officials, as they have been able to provide answers to the families of Ridgway's victims. Despite this breakthrough, there are still more unsolved cases, and authorities remain committed to finding answers for the families who are still searching for answers about the deaths of their loved ones.