Maine man accused of killing Alaska woman in 1993 to face judge

AUBURN (WGME) -- A Maine man accused of killing a young woman in Alaska more than 25 years ago is set to make his first court appearance on Tuesday.

Alaska state troopers say Sophie Sergie was stabbed multiple times, shot in the head, and found dead inside a dorm bathtub at the University of Alaska in Fairbanks in 1993.

Police arrested 44-year-old Steven Downs on Friday in Auburn.

Court documents show DNA processed in Maine led police to Downs.

After the arrest of the Golden State Killer last year, Alaska state troopers turned to public DNA and genealogical databases for potential suspects.

A match came in December 2018 after DNA was voluntarily submitted by Downs’ aunt and was linked to DNA from the original crime scene in Alaska, which led police to search Downs’ Auburn home and take him into custody.

According to troopers. Downs was 18-years-old at the time of the murder and was a student at UAF and lived in the dormitory where Sergie was found.

Downs has worked as a registered nurse in Maine since 2011. State records show he was fired from a nursing job in Livermore Falls in 2016 after making female coworkers feel uncomfortable.

Downs is being held at the Androscoggin County Jail. He will make his first court appearance Tuesday where he’ll face extradition to Alaska.