Aug. 15, 1982, when a body was found in the Green River, Donald Reay, former King County Chief Medical Examiner was the pathologist on-call. By the end of that day, 3 bodies has been found. Reay's office handled death investigations and outdoor crime scenes nationwide.

Knowing technology would advance, Reay instituted procedures to retain evidence samples indefinitely. Reay's chief medical investigator, Bill Haglund, a forensic anthropologist, became known for his work in processing skeletal remains. Haglund's Green River experience led to work in exhuming bodies in Croatia for a war-crime tribunal, and in Guatemala.

Bellevue police Chief Jim Montgomery served as King County sheriff from 1988 to 1997. "It's one of those things that after two decades, one wondered if it would ever be solved. People around the case felt it was solvable. In this case, the science had to catch up."