PULLMAN – At the request of Pullman Police Department detectives, members of the Spokane Police Department Special Investigations Unit located and arrested 47-year-old Kenneth Downing at approximately 10:45 am today, at a Spokane job site where he works construction. Downing, of Elk, Washington, faces multiple felony charges stemming from a series of home invasion / sexual assaults that occurred in Pullman between November 2003 and March 2004.
This cold case arrest was made possible through DNA matches, using evidence collected at the time that the crimes occurred. Forensic Genetic Genealogy was used to search current DNA profiles contained within genealogical sources, testing that was made possible through funding from the Washington State Attorney General’s Office. Those profiles led to a link between Kenneth Downing and the DNA evidence collected in the 2003/2004 cases. He was booked into the Whitman County Jail.
After 18 years, collaborative efforts on behalf of multiple entities, including the Pullman Police Department, Washington State Patrol Crime Laboratory, Spokane Police Department, Identifinders International LLC, Whitman County Prosecutor’s Office, FBI, and the Washington State Attorney General’s Office, will help to bring long overdue justice to the survivors of these assaults.