The Washington Department of Corrections said Friday that it would be flying Gary Ridgway back from a penitentiary in Colorado.
Gov. Jay Inslee was consulted before DOC secretary Bernie Warner called the Federal Bureau of Prisons to inform them of the change.
Inslee said he had not known Ridgway was being moved to Colorado until after the transfer happened.
After Ridgway was transferred, victims' families, law enforcement and local leaders spoke out against the transfer.
Mary Marrero, whose sister Becky was Ridgway's 49th victim, had said she was "disgusted by the Department of Corrections," and called their actions "unjustified."
"I feel like the detectives and the families have been totally disrespected in this case," Congressman Dave Reichert (R-8th District) said after the move to Colorado.
Gary Ridgway was convicted of killing 49 women in the 1980s and 1990s, and Reichert was the chief investigator on the case.
DOC said that Warner would notify the victims' families and consult with law enforcement agencies before any future moves.
Ridgway had been transferred to Colorado because of the high level of security and personnel needed to house him at the state penitentiary, according to DOC.
According to the state DOC, transferring inmates is not uncommon and they currently have 54 inmates out of state.
Reached by phone Friday night, Reichert said he was relieved and happy with the change.
"I was angry right off the bat because I saw it as a clear act of injustice and insensitivity," Reichert explained.
Reichert was among those who contacted the state and pushed to find out more about the decision.
"The right thing is to put him back in that cell, leave him there and hope he talks about the other 30 murders," he said.
Reichert called Ridgway a "monster" and said the prolific serial killer deserves to "live out the rest of his life in that eight by eight foot cell."
A representative for the Marrero family said they were "overwhelmed" by the news and not quite ready to discuss the change.
