The Washington Department of Corrections said Saturday that "Green River killer" Gary Ridgway has been transferred back to Washington from a penitentiary in Colorado.
The DOC said Ridgway was "safely and securely transferred back to Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla."
Gov. Jay Inslee said he had not known Ridgway was being moved to Colorado until after the transfer happened.
After Ridgway was transferred, victims' families, law enforcement and local leaders spoke out against the transfer.
Ridgway was convicted of killing 49 women in the 1980s and 1990s.
Congressman Dave Reichert, who was chief investigator on the Ridgway case, said via Facebook on Sunday: "This past May, convicted serial killer Gary Ridgeway was secretly transferred to a prison in Colorado from the State Penitentiary in Walla Walla. This was an unacceptable act of disrespect toward the families, dedicated detectives, scientists, patrol officers, and hundreds of volunteers involved in the two decade long investigation on the Green River murders. I am pleased to say that as of Saturday, Ridgeway is now back in Washington, where he will spend the rest of his days behind thick cell walls."
