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Seattle's Forgotten Serial Killer: Gary Gene Grant
“An in-depth look at the 1971 trial of a serial killer who’s been mostly forgotten—except to those who were forever impacted” (The Seattle Times).
In 1969, the body of a young woman was discovered in the woods of Renton, Washington, rocking the communities along Puget Sound. Three more brutal murders followed, drawing the attention of multiple police agencies as they tried to piece together the meager clues left behind. The seemingly unrelated cases challenged detectives, who struggled to realize they were all connected to one Gary Gene Grant. Before the term “serial killer” was even coined, Grant stalked his prey, destroying lives and families while walking unseen among the masses. Decades later, his crimes have all but been forgotten.
Join author and homicide investigator Cloyd Steiger as he uncovers the story of the murderer who slipped through the cracks of history.
In 1969, the body of a young woman was discovered in the woods of Renton, Washington, rocking the communities along Puget Sound. Three more brutal murders followed, drawing the attention of multiple police agencies as they tried to piece together the meager clues left behind. The seemingly unrelated cases challenged detectives, who struggled to realize they were all connected to one Gary Gene Grant. Before the term “serial killer” was even coined, Grant stalked his prey, destroying lives and families while walking unseen among the masses. Decades later, his crimes have all but been forgotten.
Join author and homicide investigator Cloyd Steiger as he uncovers the story of the murderer who slipped through the cracks of history.
175 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 27, 2020
121 people are currently reading
166 people want to read
About the author
Cloyd Steiger
3 books16 followersCloyd Steiger worked for the Seattle Police Department for 36 years. He spent his last 22 years as a Homicide Detective.
He investigated many of the most notorious murders that occurred in Seattle during that time, including serial murders, mass murders, domestic terrorism and other types of homicide.
He was the Chief Criminal Investigator with the WA. Atty General Homicide Investigation Tracking System.
He has been a contributor on Crime Stories with Nancy Grace and has appeared on many True Crime TV shows on Investigation Discovery, Oxygen and other networks.
He speaks nationally and internationally about homicide investigation and forensic science.
He lives in the Seattle area with his wife, Doreen. They have three adult sons, (two of which are Seattle Police Officers) and six grandchildren.
He investigated many of the most notorious murders that occurred in Seattle during that time, including serial murders, mass murders, domestic terrorism and other types of homicide.
He was the Chief Criminal Investigator with the WA. Atty General Homicide Investigation Tracking System.
He has been a contributor on Crime Stories with Nancy Grace and has appeared on many True Crime TV shows on Investigation Discovery, Oxygen and other networks.
He speaks nationally and internationally about homicide investigation and forensic science.
He lives in the Seattle area with his wife, Doreen. They have three adult sons, (two of which are Seattle Police Officers) and six grandchildren.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
March 5, 2020
A short, concise record of a killer I had never heard of from the Renton Washington area. I particularly liked that the book focused on the victims, the facts surrounding the crimes, and gave very little time (or pictures) spent on the killers background. Often true crime is filled with images and stories of the killer, this felt more like the preservation of information as well as a call to remember the victims.
August 24, 2020
A very fast and interesting read by a former Seattle homicide detective about an early serial killer in Renton, Washington in the early 1970s. The killer himself is an enigma who seems incapable of explaining his atrocious crimes.
March 16, 2023
Gary Grant killed two teenage girls in 1969 and two five-year-old boys in 1971. He was captured after another nut case named Chance had previously confessed to the murders of the boys.
With only four victims, Grant ranks fairly low in the history of serial killers. The dull young man was raised by a violent, alcoholic mother and after confessing to all four homicides was given a life sentence without the possibility of parole.
Cloyd Steiger is a retired homicide detective but he has little talent as a writer. Do not expect Joseph Wambaugh with this short and uninteresting read.
With only four victims, Grant ranks fairly low in the history of serial killers. The dull young man was raised by a violent, alcoholic mother and after confessing to all four homicides was given a life sentence without the possibility of parole.
Cloyd Steiger is a retired homicide detective but he has little talent as a writer. Do not expect Joseph Wambaugh with this short and uninteresting read.
April 7, 2021
Yep, I am one of those ladies who enjoys reading about true crime stories. I have that morbid curiosity, and read true crime books every so often. This one is local to my area as I do live in western Washington, and it is about a serial killer that I had never heard of before I picked up the book.
It is a short quick read, not too much depth and just enough information to give you an idea of the case.
It is a short quick read, not too much depth and just enough information to give you an idea of the case.
March 9, 2020
This book is very interesting and a great read. Well written. I recommend it to any true crime fan!
February 21, 2022
Author Cloyd Steiger was a long-time homicide detective in the Seattle Police Department and as he is the current Chief Criminal Investigator for the Washington State Attorney General’s Homicide Investigation Tracking System (HITS), he handles the obscure case of multiple homicides with great expertise and insight. All while conveying the events in Seattle’s Forgotten Serial Killer in a concise, simple, and engaging style.
The book follows the murders committed by Gary Grant and the resulting prosecution. Gary Grant may now be an obscure serial killer outshined by other local serial murderers such as Ted Bundy and Gary Ridgeway, however, his crimes were committed before the term ‘serial killer’ was coined, the crimes detailed in this book are notable for their chaotic and unpredictable randomness and the sheer brutality visited on the victims.
Steiger wastes no time in tackling the facts of the case. The first four chapters of the book describe the circumstances of the four murder victims in cold, factual, and sometimes gruesome detail, but also taking care to show the human beings behind the victims of these atrocious murders. Each victim is given their own chapter (apart from Bradley Lyons and Scott Andrews, both 6 years old, who died together.), all while following the investigation of the murders closely.
It isn’t long before the investigation hits its first red herring in the enigmatic and bizarre character that is John Chance. John Chance was a paranoid schizophrenic who confessed to and was initially charged with the murders of Bradley Lyons and Scott Andrews.
The last several chapters of the book follow the apprehending and prosecution of Gary Grant, which all started when the detectives found the murder weapon and culminated in the discovery of a watch that was stolen from the body of one of the victims, which Grant later gave to a love interest with the chilling remark of ‘See, I do get paid for the things that I do.’. Although the randomness of the crime is aforementioned in this review, no strong evidence of premeditation existing, and no obvious connection between the choice of victims, Steiger does draw several connections in the crimes, all the victims were found to be dragged to different locations than the attack took place, all were located in wooded areas, each was partially or fully stripped down of their clothes, and all were in close proximity.
Although Gary Grant may be an obscure serial killer, his crimes ended lives and ruined others, and for this, he will be remembered in infamy. Thanks to Steiger many more people will be informed about this dark chapter in the history of the Pacific Northwest.
The book follows the murders committed by Gary Grant and the resulting prosecution. Gary Grant may now be an obscure serial killer outshined by other local serial murderers such as Ted Bundy and Gary Ridgeway, however, his crimes were committed before the term ‘serial killer’ was coined, the crimes detailed in this book are notable for their chaotic and unpredictable randomness and the sheer brutality visited on the victims.
Steiger wastes no time in tackling the facts of the case. The first four chapters of the book describe the circumstances of the four murder victims in cold, factual, and sometimes gruesome detail, but also taking care to show the human beings behind the victims of these atrocious murders. Each victim is given their own chapter (apart from Bradley Lyons and Scott Andrews, both 6 years old, who died together.), all while following the investigation of the murders closely.
It isn’t long before the investigation hits its first red herring in the enigmatic and bizarre character that is John Chance. John Chance was a paranoid schizophrenic who confessed to and was initially charged with the murders of Bradley Lyons and Scott Andrews.
The last several chapters of the book follow the apprehending and prosecution of Gary Grant, which all started when the detectives found the murder weapon and culminated in the discovery of a watch that was stolen from the body of one of the victims, which Grant later gave to a love interest with the chilling remark of ‘See, I do get paid for the things that I do.’. Although the randomness of the crime is aforementioned in this review, no strong evidence of premeditation existing, and no obvious connection between the choice of victims, Steiger does draw several connections in the crimes, all the victims were found to be dragged to different locations than the attack took place, all were located in wooded areas, each was partially or fully stripped down of their clothes, and all were in close proximity.
Although Gary Grant may be an obscure serial killer, his crimes ended lives and ruined others, and for this, he will be remembered in infamy. Thanks to Steiger many more people will be informed about this dark chapter in the history of the Pacific Northwest.
September 29, 2020
Seattle’s Forgotten Serial Killer: Gary Gene Grant, by Cloyd Steiger, is a true-crime novel, published January 27, 2020, about a series of murders that occurred between 1969 and 1971 in the state of Washington. There are three cases, two in Renton, WA, and the other in King Country, WA, that this story consists of. There are many “characters'' that weave in and out of the story including the many detectives and other professionals working to solve each case. The first event of this novel, in 1969, is the murder of Carol Adele Erickson a 19-year-old college student. In the following year the body of Joanne Zulauf, 17 years old, was found. Finally, in 1971 the two bodies of six-year-old boys, Scott Andrews and Bradley Lyons were discovered in a wooded area. Through a series of investigations, detectives discover there’s a connection between all of the murders. This book doesn’t have a direct theme because its purpose was to highlight the events that took place to ensure that these victims are never forgotten.
This novel was very fascinating to me, since true-crime as always been an interest of mine but this doesn’t mean it’s not difficult to read at some points. If you’re the type of person who can be easily upset I wouldn’t recommend this book but this is something I’d say about any true-crime novel. This series of murders were not the most gruesome and the pictures provided are not graphic but clearly, this isn’t a pleasant topic. I appreciated the pictures provided because it made the events more of a reality and less of a story. The timeline which Steiger provided was very detailed, considering most of the people who worked on the cases have passed and when searching on the internet there is little to no information about them. I do think at times the story was hard to follow but this isn’t because it was poorly written, it is due to the fact that there were so many people involved with the cases. Overall the novel was a good read due to it’s detailed descriptions, emotional topic, and photos.
This novel was very fascinating to me, since true-crime as always been an interest of mine but this doesn’t mean it’s not difficult to read at some points. If you’re the type of person who can be easily upset I wouldn’t recommend this book but this is something I’d say about any true-crime novel. This series of murders were not the most gruesome and the pictures provided are not graphic but clearly, this isn’t a pleasant topic. I appreciated the pictures provided because it made the events more of a reality and less of a story. The timeline which Steiger provided was very detailed, considering most of the people who worked on the cases have passed and when searching on the internet there is little to no information about them. I do think at times the story was hard to follow but this isn’t because it was poorly written, it is due to the fact that there were so many people involved with the cases. Overall the novel was a good read due to it’s detailed descriptions, emotional topic, and photos.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 30, 2020
“The citizens of Renton were shocked at the murders of Scott and Bradley. It was the first double murder in the city’s history; that the killing was of two young boys made it even worse.”
Before killing the two 6-year-old boys, Gary Gene Grant had murdered two women in separate instances several months apart.
This true crime story is written in a straightforward and concise way that is easy to follow. The author starts at the beginning in 1969 and dedicates one chapter to each of the female victims and then one chapter to the two boys who were killed at the same time. The remaining chapters focus on the investigation and two suspects—one that would eventually lead to the conviction of the true murderer. Plus, the trial is covered and the epilogue refers to where the killer is serving time but ends with a remembrance of the victims.
This short book includes the actual crime scene and case photos in black and white. Also, an index and extensive bibliography is included.
Note: Although the title refers to Seattle, the murders occurred in Renton, a small town in the late 1960s to early 1970s located about 11 miles south of Seattle so it’s definitely a Seattle suburb.
Before killing the two 6-year-old boys, Gary Gene Grant had murdered two women in separate instances several months apart.
This true crime story is written in a straightforward and concise way that is easy to follow. The author starts at the beginning in 1969 and dedicates one chapter to each of the female victims and then one chapter to the two boys who were killed at the same time. The remaining chapters focus on the investigation and two suspects—one that would eventually lead to the conviction of the true murderer. Plus, the trial is covered and the epilogue refers to where the killer is serving time but ends with a remembrance of the victims.
This short book includes the actual crime scene and case photos in black and white. Also, an index and extensive bibliography is included.
Note: Although the title refers to Seattle, the murders occurred in Renton, a small town in the late 1960s to early 1970s located about 11 miles south of Seattle so it’s definitely a Seattle suburb.
March 22, 2023
Great read
I've read a few books about serial killers in recent years. This is by far one of the better ones. The writing is done in a way that keeps you turning the pages. Definitely a story that has been forgotten among other killers whose death toll is higher or their acts more depraved. If he had not been caught, this book left little doubt in my mind, he would have continued killing without much thought to what he was doing.
I've read a few books about serial killers in recent years. This is by far one of the better ones. The writing is done in a way that keeps you turning the pages. Definitely a story that has been forgotten among other killers whose death toll is higher or their acts more depraved. If he had not been caught, this book left little doubt in my mind, he would have continued killing without much thought to what he was doing.
April 25, 2025
This book goes into the life and crimes of Gary Gene Grant, Seattle's forgotten serial killer. I really enjoyed the writing style of the author. It kept my attention and was fast paced. Grant was arrested for killing women and little boys and is still serving time in a Washington prison. I highly recommend this book for all true-crime fans.
July 25, 2020
As a true crime fan, I really liked this book. It was a great overview to the cases, and paid proper respect to the victims. There was only one picture of the killer at the very end. The rest were all of the scene, investigating officers, the victims. It is written by a former officer.
August 26, 2020
Basically a narrative of the facts culled from police files and records surrounding the case of Gary Gene Grant. Some background or history or personal details would have made it a more compelling read.
October 5, 2020
Not sure it was worth Nine dollars - but an interesting read
Interesting book about an old murder case from the Eastside of Lake Washington. The book was a bit brief to justify the nine dollar price. Interesting book, however.
Interesting book about an old murder case from the Eastside of Lake Washington. The book was a bit brief to justify the nine dollar price. Interesting book, however.
June 24, 2022
Finally a 5 star - love true crime and therefore this was an easy 5. Great descriptions and loved the pictures. It really added to the story. I bought this book in Washington while visiting my grandma so the vibe is there 😁
June 25, 2024
Washington State has another serial killer
I thought I had read about most of the serial killers in Washington State, but this one is new to me.
So many lives lost to this type of killer!
I thought I had read about most of the serial killers in Washington State, but this one is new to me.
So many lives lost to this type of killer!
May 1, 2025
Even if the killer is forgotten, his victims never should be. The writing quality could have been better, but as others noted it did a good job of focusing on the victims rather than wallowing in gruesome details.
September 23, 2020
Very short, straight-forward accounting of these series of murders.
June 24, 2023
Warning, book contains in depth evidence of child abuse and murder.
October 10, 2025
A good quick read. It was interesting to learn about a serial killer I’ve never heard of (especially currently residing near Seattle) and I enjoyed how it showed pictures in the book through out.
November 17, 2025
basically just regurgitates police reports
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews