The Case of Colleen Renee Brockman

Colleen Renee Brockman was 15 years old when she disappeared from Seattle on December 24, 1982. She was last seen near Pacific Highway South on Christmas Eve, during the height of Gary Ridgway's early killing spree. Her remains were discovered in February 1984 near Sea-Tac Airport and she was later identified as one of Ridgway's victims. Ridgway admitted murdering Colleen during his later interviews with investigators.

Colleen Brockman was 15 years old and lived in the Seattle area. She disappeared on December 24, 1982, while the Green River Killer investigation was already well established. By the end of 1982, numerous young women had disappeared from the Seattle-Tacoma area and investigators were working to determine who was responsible. Colleen was among the youngest victims attributed to Ridgway. Her disappearance occurred only three weeks after Rebecca Marrero disappeared, another early Ridgway victim who would not be identified until decades later.

Colleen's remains were discovered on February 10, 1984, near Sea-Tac Airport in southern King County. The location was within the broad area where Ridgway repeatedly disposed of or concealed victims. Her remains had been left in a wooded and relatively secluded area, making discovery difficult. The recovery occurred more than a year after her disappearance and added another unidentified set of remains to the Green River investigation.

Colleen's disappearance was investigated as part of the Green River Killer case. The Green River Task Force was already investigating numerous missing and murdered women by the time Colleen disappeared. Investigators had identified Pacific Highway South as a major area associated with the disappearances, but the offender remained unidentified. Her remains were recovered in 1984, but identifying the killer remained difficult. Ridgway had been interviewed and investigated during the early years of the case, yet investigators lacked sufficient evidence to charge him. The breakthrough came nearly two decades later. In 2001, advances in DNA testing connected Ridgway to biological evidence associated with several victims, leading to his arrest. During extensive interviews after his arrest, Ridgway admitted killing Colleen Brockman.

Gary Ridgway pleaded guilty in 2003 to Colleen Brockman's murder as part of his plea agreement covering 48 aggravated first-degree murders. He received 48 consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole. Ridgway later pleaded guilty to the murder of Rebecca Marrero, bringing his known conviction total to 49.

Colleen's murder occurred during the particularly active period of Ridgway's early offending, when young women were disappearing from the Pacific Highway South area at frequent intervals. Her remains were recovered more than a year after her disappearance, illustrating the long delays that complicated the Green River investigation.