Prolific serial killer Gary Ridgway is not receiving end-of-life care, contrary to published reports. Ridgway - the notorious "Green River Killer" who murdered at least 49 women and girls in Washington state during the 1980s and 1990s - has not had any change in his medical condition, a Washington Department of Corrections official exclusively told Us Weekly. "We've been receiving a lot of inquiries regarding the inaccurate rumors that have been circulating," the official said via email, adding "we are not able to provide much detail about incarcerated individuals' medical information. If you have also heard that he was released to a hospice facility, this is also inaccurate." Ridgway's life sentences prohibit his release from the prison for any reason. Ridgway, 76, has been in prison since 2001 when he was arrested after an advancement in DNA technology helped investigators connect him to his crimes -with a little help from an imprisoned Ted Bundy, who admitted to 30 murders before his execution in 1989. Ridgway pleaded guilty to only 48 homicides, and received 48 life sentences, which he's been serving inside Washington State Penitentiary. Ridgway strangled his victims and often left their bodies hidden in forested areas, so that he could visit them later. A Vietnam Navy veteran, Ridgway had been painting trucks for 30 years prior to his arrest. Most of his earliest victims' bodies were found in or along the banks of Seattle's Green River. Many of them were sex workers. Wendy Lee Coffield, 16, was the first of his victims to be found back on July 15, 1982. She was nude, with a pair of jeans tightly wrapped around her neck. Five more bodies were found near the Green River over the ensuing month. 'Devil in Disguise' Ending Explained After John Wayne Gacy's Crimes, Death Early on in the investigation, Bundy, who was 42 when he died, wrote letters to detectives from death row, offering his own insights on the case and the killer's possible mindset. Authorities maintain Bundy kidnapped, raped, and murdered at least 30 women between 1974 and 1978. Bundy's murderous rampage began on the West Coast, and ended in Florida with his arrest. The conversations with Bundy didn't directly lead to Ridgway's arrest but did provide detectives with a window into the mind of the murderer. Bundy accurately suggested to investigators the Green River Killer was returning to the victim's bodies to pleasure himself. Police identified Ridgway early on as a possible person of interest, and in April 1987, legally obtained hair and saliva samples from him. But advancements in DNA science inspired detectives to have evidence preserved 20 years earlier retested, finally yielding a match in 2001. Ridgway was the subject of the 2020 documentary Green River Killer: Mind of a Monster, which was directed by Nick Poyntz and aired on HBO. The film features exclusive interviews with police and evidence that showed how Ridgway managed to elude capture for so long. It also delves into what may have motivated the killer's heinous crimes. Bundy was famously portrayed by actor Zac Efron in 2019's Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, and his connection to Ridgway's case was examined in 2019's Ted Bundy and the Green River Killer.