Terri Rene Milligan (January 26, 1966 – August 29, 1982) was a teenager who was murdered by Gary Ridgway in SeaTac, Washington, on August 29, 1982. She was Ridgway’s seventh known murder victim.
Background
Terri was born in Seattle, Washington, on January 26, 1966. When she was a child, she had dreams of going to Yale. She was described as being brilliant and was active in her local church.
Terri became pregnant when she began middle school, causing her to drop out. She lived with her boyfriend in a motel at the time. It’s unknown when, but she became a sex worker sometime after dropping out.
Disappearance
Terri was last seen on August 29, 1982, leaving her motel room to engage in sex work to make money. It’s unknown what happened to her afterward.
Discovery
Terri’s remains were discovered in Auburn, Washington, on April 1, 1984. Her cause of death could not be determined, but her case was classified as a homicide.
Terri’s remains were found at around the same time as three other sets of remains, identified as belonging to Delores Williams, Sandra Gabbert and Alma Smith.
Aftermath
Terri’s disappearance was immediately suspected to be linked to a series of killings in the area as she fit the profile of most of the victims, though her body hadn’t been found yet.
The discovery of Terri’s remains in 1984 revealed to police that she was a victim of the killer. It also proved that the other remains found in the area were also the killer’s victims.
It wouldn’t be until 2001 that her killer, Gary Ridgway, would be apprehended. He was convicted of Terri’s murder, along with the murders of forty-eight other women.
Credit by: Fandom
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