Kenneth David Downing was taken into custody in Spokane after investigators linked him to two home invasions and sexual assaults in Pullman in 2003 and March 2004.
A married construction worker in Washington state has been arrested for raping two women nearly two decades ago, police said.
“This cold case arrest was made possible through DNA matches, using evidence collected at the time that the crimes occurred,” PullmanDowning, of Elk, was tied to the attacks by investigators using forensic genetic genealogy. His bail was set at $5 million after prosecutors argued he’s still a threat to the public,Downing, who appeared in court Friday, is facing four counts of rape, three counts of assault and other charges for allegedly attacking the two victims months apart.
Cops took evidence from both crime scenes and later entered DNA into a genealogy database, ultimately leading them to Downing after one of his relatives sent in a sample to inquire about their lineage, KREM reported. Kenneth Downs was identified by investigators using forensic genetic genealogy. He faces life imprisonment if he is convicted of the crimes.Pullman police declined to identify the site where Downing was arrested, as well as which company he was working for at the time,“I think that it’s important that after 18 years, our victims here in Pullman now can have some closure and don’t have to worry about this guy running around out there still,” Pullman police Sgt. Aaron Breshears told the newspaper.
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