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Thread: Steven H. Downs arrested on 1993 rape and murder of Sophie Sergie, after familial DNA identified him as a suspect

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    Steven H. Downs arrested on 1993 rape and murder of Sophie Sergie, after familial DNA identified him as a suspect

    https://mustreadalaska.com/cold-case...sergie-murder/

    The Alaska State Troopers think they have arrested the murderer of Sophie Sergie, who was found dead in a dorm bathroom at University of Alaska Fairbanks in 1993.

    Law enforcement executed an arrest warrant today in Auburn, Maine for a man, Steven H. Downs, believed to be the murderer. He is a 44-year-old nurse. The news was announced during a 3 pm press conference at the State?s crime laboratory in Anchorage. The man will be brought to Alaska to face charges.

    The perpetrator?s DNA was found at the scene, Troopers said today. But until recent technology, no link had been made to any person, although the hunt for the killer went on for decades.

    Last year, the investigators began working with a lab in Virginia that had more sophisticated systems for linking DNA and genetic histories of families.

    Must Read Alaska has learned that the man?s aunt took a DNA test, and the link was made to someone who may have once been interviewed about the death.

    Sergie was 20 years old when she was murdered early on April 26, 1993. She was from Pitkas Point, a Native village of about 125 people in Western Alaska. At about 2 pm on the second floor of the Bartlett Hall dormitory, a janitor found Sergie?s body stuffed in a bathtub.

    Sergie had been brutally raped, her pants pulled down around her ankles. The cause of death was a gunshot and investigators determined she?d been dead about 13 hours. Her body had gone undiscovered because it was in a private tub room.

    Sergie was not a student at the time. She had taken the semester off, but had returned to Fairbanks to have her braces adjusted by an orthodontist, so she was staying in the dorm with a friend.

    In those days, people came and went freely from the dorms and it was not uncommon for friends to come from out of town to stay a night or two with a student. It was the end of the term and people were coming and going from campus. Anyone could have accessed the women?s floor via the elevator or the stairs, and the student population was in a state of transition.

    Investigators concluded that it was a random killing, and that Sergie didn?t know her murderer. One of the mysteries in the case was why no one in the dorm heard the gunshot, and later theories developed that the woman was killed elsewhere and then her body placed in the bathtub.

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    Senior Member Lily Rivers's Avatar
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    How accurate is Familial(?) DNA esp coming from his aunt and not one of his parents?

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    Quote Originally Posted by Lily Rivers View Post
    How accurate is Familial(?) DNA esp coming from his aunt and not one of his parents?
    It's accurate. It gets them to where they need to be to narrow down family members, then they use geneology to figure out who they are looking for and then get a DNA sample from that person to make sure it's a match. It might get them to a family where there are several brothers (or sisters if they are looking for a female) and then they have to actually test DNA to get the right one. They probably trailed this guy for awhile and took DNA long before they arrested him.

    I think the crime fighting aspect of it is great, but the privacy aspect of familial DNA gives me nightmares.

    You should read about DNA Doe Project. They are using the same concept to give UID's back their names.

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    https://www.cbsnews.com/news/steven-...-college-dorm/

    Steven Downs sentenced to 75 years in prison for 1993 rape and murder of Sophie Sergie at Alaska college dorm
    Last edited by raisedbywolves; 11-12-2022 at 07:32 PM.

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    What do you care? Boston Babe 73's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by raisedbywolves View Post
    https://www.cbsnews.com/news/steven-...-college-dorm/

    Steven Downs sentenced to 75 years in prison for 1993 rape and murder of Sophie Sergie at Alaska college dorm
    Good. Let this be a lesson that it'll eventually catch up to you. They continue to make advances in DNA testing and matching and eventually anyone that killed anyone ever will be caught.
    Quote Originally Posted by Nic B View Post
    That is too pretty to be shoved up an ass.
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    You can take those Fleets and shove them up your ass



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