Gary Ridgway, the Green River Killer, murdered 49+ women over 20 years while evading detection through meticulous planning and law enforcement failures—until DNA evidence finally caught him in 2001, ending America's deadliest serial killer case. Gary Ridgway confessed to murdering over 60 women between 1982 and his 2001 arrest, targeting sex workers he considered 'garbage' and deliberately choosing victims he believed would not be reported missing immediately.