In the spring of 1977 Alexandria, Virginia was shaken by a series of violent attacks on women later labeled the West End Murders. One of the victims was Gladys Ross Bradley, a 27-year-old Black woman and mother of a seven-year-old child. Separated from her husband and described as quiet and thoughtful, she worked at the Washington post office and had grown up in Emporia, Virginia after studying floral design.

Bradley’s body was found in a creek near the Holmes Run Apartments on April 29, 1977. Police linked her killing to several other similar cases and arrested Montie Ralph Rissell on May 13, 1977. Rissell confessed and was charged in the abduction, rape, and murder of five women, including Bradley. He pleaded guilty to the murder charges to avoid the death penalty and in October 1977, at age 18, received five consecutive life sentences.

The families of the victims continued to live with the loss. Does anyone have memories of Gladys Ross Bradley or information about her life in Alexandria that could add to the record?