ForeverMissed
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This memorial website was created to honor the memory of Gail Lynn Mathews, aged 24 (exact birthdate unknown, but she was born in 1959), who was murdered by Gary Ridgway, the "Green River Killer."  Gail was separated from her husband and had left behind a young daughter, who was living with Gail's estranged husband. 

According to Ann Rule's book, GREEN RIVER RUNNING RED, Gail was living a precarious, day-to-day existence with a man she'd met at Trudy's Tavern near the airport, a 34 year old man named Curt.  Curt had drug and alcohol problems, and Gail had fallen into a bad lifestyle, with no job, no car and very little money, living with him and trying to work out her problems.  They lived in motels and were staying at the New West Motel when Gail was last seen by Curt in a pickup truck at the corner of Apr. 10, 1983.  Gail and Curt had been in the VIP Tavern, one of Curt's regular hangouts, when Curt decided to head out to the Midway Tavern, another place where they held regular card games, because he thought he might win something at the card table.  He regularly played cards for money in these taverns, and Gail sometimes contributed some money, but she never told him where she got it, and he never asked her. 

The evening of Gail's disappearance, Curt walked away, leaving Gail at the VIP Tavern alone, because she knew the woman bartender.  He was waiting at 216th Street and Pacific Highway South when he saw Gail sitting in the passenger seat of a pickup truck that was either blue or gray and which was noticeable because it was sanded and had primer spots, as though it was in the process of being repainted (Ridgway was a truck painter).  Although Curt waved at her, Gail did not respond. She had a "frozen" expression on her face, and his last sight of her was that look on her face as the pickup truck moved away.  216th Street and PHS was the intersection where Ridgway picked up many of his victims, including Keli Kay McGinness, who is still missing.  When Curt saw the truck with Gail sitting in it, he was terrified she was in danger and he ran after her, but the truck sped up and he could not catch up with it.  This would be the last time that Gail Mathews would ever be seen alive.

Curt walked back to the motel where he and Gail had been staying. Worried about her, he phoned the police to report her missing, but was told he could not make a missing persons' report because he was not related to her.  Curt kept looking for Gail in the days that followed, but could not find her anywhere.  He feared she had met with danger.  Ultimately, Curt moved away from the Seattle area and much later, he ended up in jail in Texas; it was then that he learned that Gail Lynn Mathews, to whom he'd grown close, had been murdered. Her remains were found on September 18, 1983, at the Star Lake Road site, a place where Ridgway left a number of his victims. 

REST IN PEACE, GAIL.

Background Music: "Gone Too Soon" by Michael Jackson.

WEBMASTER's NOTE:

No derogatory, obscene or rude comments, photos or tributes will be tolerated here.  Any offending poster's computer IP address will be noted and the authorities contacted, as this constitutes website abuse. This site is monitored regularly for content!  The offending poster will be permanently banned from this site.  

April 10, 2023
April 10, 2023
Fourty years since your passing, but not forgotten. RIP Gail❤️
February 6, 2023
February 6, 2023
Another year you have missed because you were " gone too soon "
June 25, 2022
June 25, 2022
There is a place inside the Heart where nothing beautiful can ever be forgotten Those we cherish will always live on in Memory ♥♥ Rest in Heaven--------♥
June 25, 2022
June 25, 2022
I miss my aunt. My memories of aunt Gail are of visiting Sears on 1st ave, and while everyone else was looking at furniture, paying attention to the carpet..rubbing my feet against it.. and being able to shock her. (I was not a perfect nephew.. ). I never got the chance to apologize.. and that bothers me to today. I but wish that instead of this mug shot, that a photo that reminds me of the beauty she had when I'd last seen her.. would have been used. She may have been flawed.. but she was working at cleaning up her act. She, like many others on this fateful list would have likely managed to get free of their addiction, and turned into success stories for those entering 12 step programs, etc. 
April 11, 2022
April 11, 2022
Another year you have missed, you are not forgotten. RIP
February 5, 2022
February 5, 2022
Thinking of you today, and how many birthdays you have missed RIP Gail
June 14, 2020
June 14, 2020
I hear your voice on the wind and feel your smile in the sunshine on my face. Thank you for still being with me everyday.
February 7, 2020
February 7, 2020
Rest in heavenly Peace A Soul gone too early we remember you Gone but not forgotten God bless you Never forgotten
February 7, 2020
February 7, 2020
Sorry I was late with your birthday wish, must have missed the email reminding me, and my memory sucks.i hope you are at peace my girl, and resting easy ❤️
October 22, 2019
October 22, 2019
Ruhe in himmlischen Frieden liebe Gail, unvergessen und geliebt ♥️♥️♥️♥️
February 8, 2018
February 8, 2018
Happy Birthday Gail , wherever you are...not forgotten !
February 24, 2011
February 24, 2011
Gail, your story reminds me of that of a cousin of mine. She kept running away from home as a teenager, not really sure why, what she was looking for, or what she wanted. I think she wanted a place to belong. I think that is what you were looking for as well. In Heaven, I am sure you have now found the peace, security and love you needed all along.

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April 10, 2023
April 10, 2023
Fourty years since your passing, but not forgotten. RIP Gail❤️
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