Mystery surrounding 37-year-old woman’s stabbing death solved months later, WA cops say
A 37-year-old woman was fatally stabbed months ago in Washington, deputies said, and DNA testing now helped lead to an arrest.
A 56-year-old Arlington man, identified in news reports as Mark Christopher Downey, was arrested on a charge of second-degree murder on Nov. 22, the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post and KING 5 reported.
He’s accused of killing Katie McQueen of Mariposa, California, on Aug. 20, deputies said.
A neighbor found McQueen’s body covered in brush near Lake Stevens, The Everett Herald reported.
Her death was deemed suspicious, but no one was connected to the killing for months, authorities said.
Then the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab confirmed a DNA match from a sample taken from her body, deputies said.
The sample matched Downey, a registered sex offender who had previously been convicted on a murder charge, The Everett Herald and King 5 reported.
Investigators said they learned that Downey and McQueen had gotten into a fight before he stabbed her in the neck. They did not know each other, deputies said.
Downey fled to Mexico, where he was arrested Aug. 25 on a probation violation, The Everett Herald reported.
Lake Stevens is about a 35-mile drive north from Seattle.
This story was originally published November 26, 2024 at 1:41 PM with the headline "Mystery surrounding 37-year-old woman’s stabbing death solved months later, WA cops say."
