Arrest made in Fairbanks cold case murder

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Friday, February 15th, 2019 3:13pm

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The alleged killer of Sophie Sergie (above) has been arrested.

Anchorage, Alaska (KINY) - After nearly 26 years, the Alaska State Troopers is finally able to help an Alaskan family get one step closer to justice.

Court documents say police in Alaska were able to make an arrest in a quarter-century-old cold case with the help of DNA voluntarily submitted by an aunt of the man charged.

Alaska State Troopers have said 44-year-old Steven Downs of Auburn, Maine, was arrested in his hometown Friday on murder and sexual assault charges related to the 1993 death of Sophie Sergie. Sergie's body was found in a dorm bathtub at the University of Alaska Fairbanks when she was 20 years old.

The Portland Press Herald reports a charging document filed Friday in District Court in Alaska provides new details about how police identified Downs. The genealogical study traced Downs to Maine.

Court documents say Downs told investigators he recalled Sergie's murder but had never met her. He's due in court Tuesday.

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