SEATTLE (KOMO) — Officials used DNA testing on human remains found in 1985 to identify one of the Green River Killer's victims on Tuesday, according to the King County Sheriff's Office (KCSO).
The KCSO released a photo of Lori Anne Razpotnik, who was 15 years old in 1982 when she ran away from her family's Lewis County home. Her family never saw her again and her mother provided a saliva sample, according to the KCSO.
Due to advancements in DNA technology, Parabon Nanolabs developed a new DNA profile and begin forensic genealogy testing on the bones, according to the KCSO. The contracted company concluded that Razpotnik was the victim, the KCSO said, and the University of North Texas' DNA comparison testing confirmed the remains were Razpotnik's.
Notorious Green River Killer Gary Ridgway pleaded guilty to killing Razpotnik and 48 other women in 2003. All of the victims were strangled and their bodies were then dumped in forests and overgrown areas of King County.
On Dec. 30, 1985, employees from the city of Auburn were called to investigate a car over an embankment, according to the KCSO. Human remains were found and the Green River task force was called in to oversee the investigation, the KCSO said.
During a search of the area, a second set of human remains were found, according to the KCSO. The two victims were not immediately identified, the KCSO added.
Ridgway led investigators to the location in 2002 and admitted to placing victims there, according to the KCSO. In 2012, the other set of bones were identified as belonging to Sandra Majors.
