Podbit · Last Podcast On The Left
Gary Ridgway murdered at least 45 women in two years — a body count that rivals America's worst killers. The original episode painted him as a simple, low-IQ grudge-holder; the reality is far darker and more complicated, involving necrophilia, attempted correspondence with police, and a psychology shaped by layers of abuse.
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At 5:45 · chapter starts 3:05
Marcus Parks explains that the original Ridgway episode was produced under impossible conditions — six podcasts a week, researching off Wikipedia, little sleep. The new material, including recently surfaced information, reveals a far more complicated man than the simple 'Missionary Killer' they'd previously described. Marcus frames the scale: at least 45 confirmed murders between 1982 and 1984 alone, not counting earlier or later possible victims, putting Ridgway behind only Samuel Little in American history. [1] — Marcus Parks "Gary Ridgway murdered at least 45 women in two years — a body count that rivals America's worst killers. The original episode painted him a…" 05:45 He also explains the geographic logic of Ridgway's crimes — the SeaTac corridor before it was a city, surrounded by wilderness, populated by sex workers on two-lane roads, with body disposal sites in every direction. The hosts discuss why the Green River case was heading toward unsolved status, like the Zodiac or Jack the Ripper, before DNA evidence changed everything.
Samuel Little is considered America's most prolific serial killer by body count, surpassing Gary Ridgway by a significant margin.
Gary Ridgway murdered at least 45 women between 1982 and 1984 alone — just a two-year window — not counting possible earlier or later kills.
Before SeaTac incorporated as a city, the corridor between Seattle and Tacoma was a sex work hub on two-lane highways surrounded by dense wilderness — giving Ridgway infinite disposal sites and virtually invisible victims. Had he buried his victims instead of leaving them in the open, the world might never have known a serial killer existed.
During Ridgway's most active period, approximately four to six other serial killers were simultaneously operating in the same Pacific Northwest region.
Gary Ridgway had an IQ of 82, was dyslexic, had poor recall, and was routinely ignored in the back of the classroom — yet evaded police for decades.
A man used ChatGPT as a de facto lawyer, sharing self-incriminating details in his chats. When the transcripts were subpoenaed, the judge ruled no attorney-client privilege applied and admitted the chats as evidence against him. AI first passes are useful — treating AI as your counsel is dangerous.
CIA operative Edwin Wilson armed Muammar Gaddafi with 10,000 machine guns and 20 tons of C4 hidden in barrels of mud and flew them to Libya himself. He was sentenced to 52 years and served 12 in solitary. He was also a founder of the same arms network Oliver North contracted for the Contras.
Kim Dotcom's legal nightmare had nothing to do with copyright infringement. He donated to WikiLeaks and Julian Assange — and the US government charged him under RICO statutes, seeking 186 years in prison as payback.
More than a decade after his indictment, the US is still trying to extradite Kim Dotcom from New Zealand — even after he suffered a stroke. He cannot be convinced the authorities are on his side; only the legal process, run by his lawyers, keeps him free.
The illegal wildlife trade and the drug trade aren't just parallel industries — they actively overlap. Smugglers force-fed cocaine to boa constrictors to evade customs, packed drugs beneath layers of live animals in crates with spitting cobras on top, and exploited the chronic under-resourcing of US Fish and Wildlife inspection teams.
Mario Tabraue was sentenced to over 100 years in prison for murder and drug trafficking. He served 12. Nobody — not even the DEA agent who put him there — knows why he got out. That agent, Larry Lovelace, now lives in rural West Virginia with a gun within reach every night, still expecting retaliation.
Anson Wong from Malaysia was the Pablo Escobar of the global reptile trade, supplying rare animals — including Komodo dragons — to buyers across the world. He was caught in a sting, extradited to the US, and served the longest wildlife crime sentence at the time. The animals seized from him went on to stock some of America's biggest zoos.
Zelig Williams landed a role in Hamilton at just 19 while still in college — a rare achievement in a world where most Broadway dreams die young. By 28 he was a veteran ready to mentor the next generation, until he disappeared without a trace on October 3, 2024.
Season 5 of Dateline: Missing in America brings six new unsolved mysteries. The show is explicitly asking listeners to engage — because a detail someone remembers might be the break investigators need.
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