The Misery Machine - The Case of Sophie Sergie

Starting point is 00:00:00 Sophie Surgy was born in June of 1972 in Pitcus Point, Alaska. This small village only had about 70 residents at the time of her birth. Like Sophie, most of the residents were members of the UPIC group of indigenous Alaskans. Sophie was an intelligent and hardworking young woman that others in the community looked up to. She was described as having a quirky sense of humor and loved to laugh at her own jokes. She was only 4'9, but she really made up for it in space. spirit and light. Sophie lived with her little brother and her mother Elena. She helped her mother run the household, but she also had bigger dreams. She initially wanted to join the U.S. Navy,

Starting point is 00:00:41 but her height made her too short for the job that she wanted in the service. Instead, she channeled her love for whales and decided to pursue a career where she could work with these marine mammals. Sophie was an honor student and took a step toward her bright future when she became the first person in her family to attend college. She received a full school, and scholarship from British Petroleum to the University of Alaska at Fairbanks, or UAF. UAF is about 260 miles north of Anchorage. It was a five-and-a-half-hour flight from her small village, and Fairbanks was much more urban than where Sophie grew up. In 1993, the university had about 6,000 students from all over the country, 1,350 of whom lived on campus. Compared to the

Starting point is 00:01:24 70 people who lived in her entire village, the university must have felt like a major city. Sophie ended up joining rural student services, a campus organization that helped support students from rural communities. Sophie's friend Shirley Wasouli also joined the rural student services. Shirley described the pressure of their college years as being quoted saying, we were so afraid of failing. We had to make sure we got through school because otherwise our future was home. Not that home was a bad place, but we had hopes and dreams.

Starting point is 00:01:54 We wanted to do things. According to Shirley, Sophie settled into campus life but also stayed out of She was all too aware of the pressure to succeed, so she was not a partier. According to Shirley, Sophie was quite the opposite. Sophie may have dabbled in parties once or twice a year, but she truly felt the weight on her shoulders of why she was at school and how important it was for her family. Sophie studied marine biology at UAF for two years before taking time off in 1992. She moved back home to save money for jaw surgery and some orthodonic work that she needed to have done. By working at the local school, she was able to get insurance to help pay for her medical bills.

Starting point is 00:02:36 Her procedures and follow-up appointments were all in Fairbanks, so Sophie still needed to fly back to the city for those appointments. To help save money, Sophie would stay with her friend Shirley during these trips. Shirley would give Sophie the keys to her dorm room and then go spend the night with her boyfriend in another dorm. In April of 1993, Sophie needed to go back to Fairbanks for one of these appointments, so as usual, she arranged to stay on the U.A.S. campus with Shirley. On Friday, April 23rd, Sophie flew from her home in Pitca's Point to Bethel and then to Anchorage, where she stayed overnight with a family friend. Then on Saturday, Sophie flew to Fairbanks. She planned to spend the weekend with Shirley in her dorm and then go to her appointment on Monday. She was scheduled to fly home to Pitca's point after her appointment. Sophie's friend Shirley

Starting point is 00:03:23 lived in room 227 at Bartlett Hall on the UAF campus. The second floor where Shirley lived was for women only. And this seems like it would be a safe place for them to be, but students have been complaining for years about the poor security on campus. Several complaints have been made about men being found in the women's quarters. Two months before, a girl living in Bartlett Hall accused two basketball players of essaying her while another one watched them. Only the previous February, a man had been arrested after he was found naked in the women's bathroom on the fourth floor of Bartlett Hall. Two years before that, a student was attacked in another dorm ball. by a soldier from Fort Wainwright who tried to essay her.

Starting point is 00:04:03 Even earlier than that, in 1972, a student named Jody Stambaw had been the victim of essay and murder in another UAF dorm building. Resident advisors ask for more security, such as installing locks on the bathroom doors, but no changes were made whatsoever. Visitor monitoring at the dorm entrances have been stopped for budgetary reasons in 1989, despite a murder taking place on campus. Sophie spent Saturday, April 24th, running errands in Fairbanks, and then enjoyed that night hanging out with friends on the UAF campus. On Sunday, Sophie spent most of her time in and around Bartlett Hall.

Starting point is 00:04:41 That evening, she went to a movie with three friends, and then afterward went for a scenic drive around the Murphy Dome Recreation Area. Around midnight, Sophie was dropped back off at Bartlett Hall, where she met with her friend Shirley and Shirley's boyfriend Noah Naylor. They ordered a pizza, which they took back to Shirley's room to eat. Sophie left the room briefly to go get a drink from the dorm commons area. When she came back, she hung out for a few minutes, but then asked where she could go smoke a cigarette. In April, Alaska is still pretty cold at night, so Shirley told Sophie that she could go smoke in the women's bathroom. The bathroom had a separate tub room with an exhaust fan, so if Sophie smoked there, the fan would blow the smoke outside. At about 1.30 in the morning, now Monday, April 26, Shirley and her boyfriend decided to turn in.

Starting point is 00:05:27 Sophie hadn't returned from her smoke yet, so Shirley left a note letting her know that they had gone to Noah's dorm for the night. The very next morning, about 8.50, Shirley returned to her dorm and found that Sophie was still not there. The note she left was still in the door, and the room had no sign that Sophie had returned. Shirley looked around the dorm in the common areas, but couldn't find her anywhere. She even called Sophie's orthodontist later that day and learned that Sophie had missed her appointment. That afternoon, in approximately 2.42 p.m., janitors were clear. in the women's bathroom on the second floor of Bartlett Hall. They made a terrible discovery.

Starting point is 00:06:03 They found the dead body of a young woman in the tub room next to the shower stalls. Campus police were notified and the Alaska State Troopers were also summoned. The Alaska State Troopers immediately took over the investigation and began canvassing the area. Shirley soon heard through the campus grapevine that a body had been found on the second floor of Bartlett Hall. She and her boyfriend rushed back to her dorm but were stopped by police. The officer questioned them and Shirley told them about Sophie being missing. The two led the investigators to Shirley's room. Sophie's ID card was found in the room and with it,

Starting point is 00:06:35 the investigators were able to identify the victim in the bathtub as Sophie Sergi. This is a description of the scene given in the investigative report. Sophie's body was found lying on her back in the bathtub with her legs together and bent over to her left. Her feet were in contact with the bottom of the tub. She was wearing shoes and socks. Her pants and underpants had been pulled down past her knees. Her sweater had been pushed up around her neck and armpits. The right cup of her bra had been pushed up, exposing her right breast.

Starting point is 00:07:10 The left side of her face was lying against the bottom of the tub over the drain. Her arms were above her head, below the water spigot. She had multiple stab wounds on the right side of her face, and her face was covered in blood. Sophie's clothing and hair were damp, indicating the water had run after she was placed in the tub. When her body was removed from the tub, investigators discovered she also had been shot in the back of the head. Under her body in the tub drain, investigators recovered Sophie's cigarette lighter. Word soon spread that a body had been found on campus, and authorities released Sophie's identity that Monday. It was also revealed that they were investigating her death as a homicide and that an autopsy had been ordered.

Starting point is 00:07:52 Another female student reported being in the showers of Bartlett Hall about 1.30 a.m. She reported hearing thumping noises and voices coming from the tub room which shared a wall with the shower that she was using. Sophie's death shocked her fellow students. She'd been killed less than 20 feet from where students slept in their dorms. Despite the previous security concerns, no one still really bothered to lock their doors before this. Now a hotline was set up for worried students and parents. About 60 students moved out of Bartlett Hall. just a week left of school to stay in other dorms or off campus.

Starting point is 00:08:27 Sophie's killer was still at large. Investigators did not even know if the suspect was a student or someone from off campus. Still, on Tuesday after her attack, there was no extra security posted the entrance to Bartlett Hall and no one was checking visitors' identification. Getting into the student floors and the bathrooms was still just as easy as following someone in through the lock main door. On Wednesday, campus security announced that escorts were at available 24 hours a day for students who felt unsafe. Shuttle bus was also provided and campus

Starting point is 00:08:58 security vowed to add extra patrols until this case was solved. On April 28th, the autopsy of Sophie Sergi's body was performed in Anchorage, Alaska. The autopsy confirmed that she had been killed by a single gunshot to the back of the head. The bullet entrance wound appeared to be from close contact. The bullet itself was recovered and placed into evidence. Sophie had been stabbed twice in the right corner of her right eye while she was still alive. Another stab wound on her right cheek seemed to have happened after she died. These stabs were all made by a knife with a thin blade. Sophie also had abrasions on her abdomen and right hip, and a bruise was noted on her right knee. No drugs or alcohol were found in her system. During the autopsy, swabs and gauze were used to

Starting point is 00:09:47 collect biological evidence from Sovi's privates, as well as from other parts of her body. These swabs were sent to the Alaska State Crime Detection Laboratory for analysis. Alaska was not yet using DNA technology, so nothing came of this evidence. While researching the case, many news articles mentioned the possibility of a stun gun being used. According to the doctor that performed Sophie's autopsy, he found no evidence of this. We're unsure if this was some sort of rumor that was swirling about the campus at the time of the attack that somehow made it to the mainstream media, But the use of a stun gun was officially ruled out. On Wednesday, April 28th, the police still had no motive and no suspects, so they asked the public for help.

Starting point is 00:10:33 Captain John Myers of the Alaska State Troopers made this following plea. We encourage anyone with even the wildest idea to call us. The semester was ending soon, so the investigators wanted to get as much information as possible before students left for the summer. Sergeant Jim McCann confidently said, I'm optimistic that will have a more definitive idea of who committed this murder soon. On Thursday, April 29th, UAF students planned a memorial for Sophie. Flags were lowered to half-mast. Memorial began with six drummers performing a mournful chant as an honor to her Yupic heritage.

Starting point is 00:11:10 Sophie's smiling portrait sat on a table draped in white cloth surrounded by roses, daisies, and snapdragons. A Presbyterian minister led the crowd in prayer in both English and a new piano. a language spoken by Alaskan Inuit peoples. More than 300 of the university's indigenous students had already gathered for a prayer meeting on Tuesday to honor Sophie. Friends remembered her being concerned with preserving her native culture and being a role model for the other youth in her village. Valerie Church, Sophie's former teacher, said everybody loved her.

Starting point is 00:11:43 She wanted nothing but good for everybody. This isn't supposed to happen. Sophie's friend Shirley spoke at the memorial sharing messages from Sophie's mother and friends back at Pickus Point. Then she shared her own thoughts. She said, It's important to know how much Sophie enjoyed life. Don't be bitter.

Starting point is 00:12:01 We should continue to pray for the person who took Sophie away. Sophie was buried in the Pitcus Community Cemetery next to her grandmother. Her mother later said, for me, she's just away somewhere and she'll be coming home soon. In the weeks after Sophie's death, investigators continued to dig for clues. They had fingerprints, hair, and other evidence, but still no suspect.

Starting point is 00:12:23 Authorities encouraged the community to remain on high alert. Sergeant Jim McCann said, whoever did this was very, very angry at women. He said Sophie was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and she was a woman. He hypothesized that the killer was a man who was probably familiar with the UAF campus. Whoever it was, he fit in.

Starting point is 00:12:45 He believed that there was a 50% chance that the killer had already left the area, gone home for the summer. He urged the public to report anyone acting strangely after returning home from college. The killer, he said, thought enough ahead to bring a gun and is likely to have fantasize about committing similar acts. Her killer is someone who uses women to express their anger. Changes were finally made to campus, including more lighting on campus and personnel hired to check identification in dorm lobbies at night. New phones were also installed in every dorm room for students.

Starting point is 00:13:20 a big step back in those days before everyone had a cell phone. Still, these measures were too late for Sophie. Leeds in her case had dwindled, and the police had nothing to work with. Despite a $20,000 reward, Sophie's case went cold, and mentions of her and the local news faded away. In 1995, Sophie's family sued UAF for $4 million. The lawsuit alleged that the university had been negligent and failing to provide security for people in the dorms,

Starting point is 00:13:48 especially Bartlett Hall. Family lawyer said it was well known as a party house. All sorts of people were just free to come and go. There were no check-in or check-out procedures. There was no way to tell who was in the dorm. The lawyer hired to defend the university countered that the killer was to blame for Sophie's death, not the university. He also said that Sophie's own negligence was partly to blame.

Starting point is 00:14:12 Alaska State Trooper Lieutenant Lance Dalke, a homicide detective and then a cold case investigator, thinks this lawsuit hindered the original investigation. He said the family's lawsuit got in the way of justice. There was a lot of information released in the civil suit that never should have been released to the public. Only those crucial witnesses who hold one piece of what happened and the actual player who holds all the pieces

Starting point is 00:14:38 should be the ones with this kind of information. It's our job to come in as the puzzle masters to put the pieces together. When we put the pieces together, we may not have a full picture of what happened, but the person who knows the missing details is the bad guy. He holds the key, and if he knows what we hold, he is more likely to try to protect what we don't hold. Lieutenant Dalke was interviewed in 2012,

Starting point is 00:15:01 almost a decade after Sophie's death. Now retired, he looks back and wonders if the fact that Sophie was killed in such a bold location was a clue. He said, it could have easily been a person who was familiar with their surroundings to be in a comfort zone enough to commit this kind of heinous crime. Dave Spurbeck, a forensic psychologist and director of mental health at the Alaska Department of Corrections, wondered if Sophie was the victim of a serial killer.

Starting point is 00:15:29 If this person has psychological problems to convert frustration and rage into sexuality, that is an addiction that he can't control. My feeling is, whoever forcibly essayed Sophie had done it before and will do it again. In the late 1990s, DNA technology had evolved enough that the Alaska Crime Lab could create an early DNA profile from the biological evidence gathered from Sophie's body. At the time, unknown DNA had to be compared against specific individual suspects' DNA. The profile from Sophie's killer was compared against numerous possible suspects in the years following Sophie's death. But none of these comparisons yielded any positive results. The bullet taken from Sophie's head was also sent for.

Starting point is 00:16:15 analysis. It turned out to be a 22 caliber with a distinctive marking, but no possible murder weapon was ever recovered that can be compared to the bullet. In May of 2000, the DNA sample taken from Sophie's body was processed a second time using a more advanced type of DNA analysis. The DNA source was determined to be male, and sperm cells were found in various samples that had been collected from Sophie's body and clothing. The new DNA profile was uploaded to a database called CODIS, a combined DNA identification system. Kodis has allowed an unknown DNA profile to be compared against any profile in the system, not just individual suspects.

Starting point is 00:16:53 Unfortunately, there were still no hits. Over the years, additional leads were investigated and DNA samples were collected, but all of these potential suspects were eliminated by the DNA evidence. By 2003, the case had gone dormant. Lees attempted to identify every person that had been living in Bartlett Hall at the time of the homicide, but by then many of the potential witnesses had left Alaska. Over the years, investigators periodically reviewed Sophie's case files. In 2009, investigators released new details to try to drum up some fresh leads.

Starting point is 00:17:26 They published pictures of the clothing she was wearing that night, including a brightly colored sweater. They were especially interested in hearing from anybody who might have seen Sophie on her final night while she smoked and chatted with other students outside one of the dorms. Investigator James Stogsdale, a cold case investigator with the Alaska State Troopers, was assigned to the case in 2009. 2010, he interviewed Nicholas Dazer, a former student who had been a resident of Bartlett Hall living in room 305 with another student named Stephen Downs. Both students were interviewed briefly during the initial investigation. They both denied having any knowledge about Sophie's attack or homicide.

Starting point is 00:18:05 The time of her death, Nicholas was both a student at UAF in working as a security gun. for the university. He was on duty the night Sophie disappeared and also helped police secure the crime scene the next day. Nicholas later was fired from his security job for having a firearm, which was not allowed in the dorms. His involvement on the night of Sophie's disappearance and this firearms charge was what led Investigator Stogsell to re-interview Nicholas in 2010. Nicholas confirmed that he had been let go because he owned a gun, but denied owning a 22-calibur handgun. However, he did remember that his roommate, Stephen Downs, had an H&R model 22-caliber gun in their dorm room in 1993. Later, forensic scientist Deborah Gillis, a firearms expert with the crime lab,

Starting point is 00:18:52 would confirm that the markings on the bullet taken from Sophie's head would be consistent with the bullet fired from an H&R 22-caliber revolver. The bullet had six lands and grooves with a right-hand twist, but these markings could have also come from a lot of different 22-caliber firearms. Investigator Stoggsdale continued to search for Sophie's killer until he retired, but he was unsuccessful. Stogsdale joined the growing list of investigators over the years who had to retire before they could find justice for Sophie Sergi. In 2018, the cold case was put into new hands. Investigator Randy McFerrin decided to take another approach by using the new field of forensic genealogy. He contacted a Virginia-based lab that uses genealogical databases to

Starting point is 00:19:38 to identify possible suspects in unsolved criminal cases. The kind of DNA profile that they used was called a single nucleotide polymorphism, or SMP-pronounced SNP. The previous kind of DNA profile was like a fingerprint that could only be matched to individuals, but a SNIP profile is more like a genetic blueprint. This blueprint contains the genetic data that an individual shares with their blood relatives. For several years at this point, I'm sure you're familiar with, People interested in their family trees have been voluntarily spitting into tubes and mailing it to companies

Starting point is 00:20:11 and then getting their family background from their DNA. People had also begun uploading their own DNA profiles to websites to see if they can connect with other people that they shared DNA with, long-loss relatives, let's say. These databases contain a wealth of knowledge and forensic genealogists have been using it to solve violent crimes for years now. You might not have an exact match for an unknown suspect's DNA, but you might get partial matches to extended family members. These partial matches are given to a forensic genealogist to research. They use regular genealogy tactics like looking at birth and marriage records to build a reverse family tree.

Starting point is 00:20:49 This can potentially narrow down the scope of the search to identify a suspect. This is the same technique that had been used to finally identify the notorious Golden State killer earlier in 2018. On October 10, 2018, the lab contacted the Alaska State Troopers to let them know, they'd completed the profile for the DNA evidence taken from Sophie's body. The lab had uploaded the suspect's SNIP profile to a public database, where it was compared to the profiles of users who had submitted their own DNA to the database. Two promising matches, meaning second cousins are closer, and three potentially promising matches, which would be third cousins or closer, were identified.

Starting point is 00:21:28 These names were sent to a forensic genealogist to begin the long, complicated process of assembling a reverse family tree for the suspect. On December 18, 2018, Vescator McFeran received the news that the lab had identified a likely relative of the suspect. The amount of genetic information shared between this relative and the suspect was the same as half-siblings to each other, an aunt to a nephew, or a grandmother to a grandson. Because the relative and the suspect shared the same X chromosome DNA, the lab knew that the connection came from the suspect's mother's side. The genealogy research of family records determined that this relative had no half-brothers nor biological children or grandchildren of her own. Through a process of elimination, the lab was able to determine that the matched relative

Starting point is 00:22:17 only had one possible male relative that could fit this DNA relationship. Her nephew was named Stephen Downs. The research into Stephen Downs revealed even more information. Stephen was born on August 31st, 1974 in Maine, where he later graduated from high school in June of 1992. Stephen left Maine and attended college in Fairbanks, Alaska in the fall of 1992. As we learned earlier, Stephen was living in the same dorm building where Sophie was killed. He was 18 years old at the time of her homicide. After graduating college in 1996, Stephen lived in Arizona for a while before returning to Maine.

Starting point is 00:22:59 He worked as a nurse and lived in our Twin City of Auburn ever since. Stephen had no previous arrest, and his DNA had never been uploaded into the national database. This is why his DNA was never directly matched to the DNA profile for Sophie's killer. It was only after his own aunt uploaded her DNA for genealogy purposes that a match was finally made. On February 13, 2019, Maine State Police working with the Alaska State Troopers, interviewed Stephen at his home. Stephen remembered that a girl had been murdered in his dorm building during his time at UAF, however, he denied knowing her or ever having contact with her. When officers showed him pictures of Sophie, he said that he recognized her from posters that had been put up around the time of her homicide.

Starting point is 00:23:46 Still, he denied ever seeing her in person. He told them his dorm was on the third floor. He spent most of his time visiting his girlfriend on the fourth floor, so had no reason to ever go to the second floor where Sophie had been killed. killed. Before they finished the interview, the detectives showed him Sophie's picture again, and he said, I remember the pictures. It's terrible poor girl. On February 14th, 2019, a search warrant was executed on Stevens' house and its cheek swab was obtained for a sample of his DNA. The Alaska Scientific Crime Detection Laboratory had already coordinated with the main state crime lab to provide the information needed to do an immediate comparison between Stephen's DNA,

Starting point is 00:24:27 and the DNA sample taken from Sophie's body. The main state crime lab analyzed Stevens' cheek swap and confirmed that his DNA profile was an exact match for Sophie's killer. On Friday, February 15, 2019, Stephen H. Downs was arrested for the essay and homicide of Sophie Surgy in 1993. It took 26 years for this cold case to be solved through cutting-edge science and old-fashioned genealogy research. The forensic genealogy team that identified Stephen Downs was headed by Cecey Moore,

Starting point is 00:25:01 an expert in genetic genealogy who helped police solve over 150 cold cases since 2018. Stephen was denied bail and was later extradited to Alaska in August of 2019. Evidentiary hearings began in February of 2021. On the last day of these hearings, retired Alaska State Trooper James McCann described this as the case that got away from him. He said, it still haunts me. I had to leave employment with that one unsolved, and that is the only sexual homicide case that I did not solve.

Starting point is 00:25:34 Sophie Sergi's mother, Elena, passed away in 2021. Her daughter's death haunted her for years. According to Sophie's brother, on special occasions, she'd just burst out crying for a little bit. She'd started a prayer and start praying. I said to myself, you know, one of these days they'll find the guy, they will find him. Nobody can hide for so long.

Starting point is 00:25:55 If I was there face to face with him, I'd say, you took something precious from us. Even though we were a small family, her uncles, her aunties, her cousins, we were all close. But I forgive you for what you did. Forgiveness, but I'll never forget. Elena may not have lived to see the trial for her daughter's killer.

Starting point is 00:26:13 At least she passed away knowing that he had finally been caught. Stephen's trial began in January of 2022. His defense team tried to claim that the DNA evidence was shaky at best. They argued there was other fingerprints and Harris found at the scene that might have led to other suspects. However, since the crime scene was a college dorm bathroom shared by dozens of students, of course there were other fingerprints and Harris found. Stevens' DNA was the only DNA evidence found at the crime scene, so the defense even tried to suggest that perhaps Stevens' DNA had ended up inside of Sophie through a consensual encounter.

Starting point is 00:26:49 They argued that Sophie may have hooked up with Stephen earlier, but that doesn't necessarily mean that he was the only one there to kill her. Thankfully, the jury was having none of it. They deliberated for two days and then handed down their verdict. On February 10, 2023, Stephen Downs was found guilty of first-degree homicide and first-degree essay. In September of 2022, Superior Court Judge Thomas Temple sentenced Stephen to 75 years in prison. 67 years to the homicide plus the mandatory eight years for the essay following sentencing guidelines that were in place in 1993. Stephen received credit for the three and a half years already served since his 2019 arrest in Maine. He will also be eligible for parole after one third of his sentence, which is 25 years under the Alaska parole law that was in effect since 1993.

Starting point is 00:27:42 Steven's defense attorney tried to argue that 75 years was too harsh considering Stevens' health. He said, Steve is 48 years old now. He's over 400 pounds. He's got very high blood pressure. I think that his life expectancy is not going to be, you know, 103 years old here. Anything in excess of a 20-year sentence, that's going to be bringing him to the near the end of his life under the best of circumstances. The defense attorney told the court that Stephen Downs had no criminal record and was not a monster,

Starting point is 00:28:11 despite essaying and killing Sophie in cold blood. He told the court that he wanted Steve. to serve a sentence that might allow him to be released in time to be able to hug his parents again. Judge Temple replied, since April of 1993, Miss Surgy hasn't been able to hug anyone. No one's been able to hug Miss Sergi. No one will ever hug her again. On February 11, 2022, the day after Stephen's conviction, members of the Fairbanks community held a memorial service for Sophie. They gathered outside the Rabinowitz Courthouse to share words, songs, and prayers to remember her life and legacy. Attendees held candles and posters

Starting point is 00:28:52 with saying such as Never Forget and Rest in Peace Sophie. One poster just said, 345 months, the length of time since Sophie's death. According to a member of the Alaska Native Women's Resource Center, for there to be closure after so many years and justice for Sophie and her family is amazing. It gives us hope that we can continue to find justice for our women and continue to to build safety for our women across the state. So for many of us that grew up in our native communities, we grew up hearing stories about our women disappearing or dying under mysterious circumstances, never getting justice or never having answers for what happened, where they went missing, or how to be accountable for their murder. For someone to have justice in a family and have closure

Starting point is 00:29:35 means a lot to our families. Sophie's legacy continues to live on through the annual gathering of remembrance in Fairbanks, Alaska. This annual event is hosted by the Tanana Chiefs Conference in the Fairbanks Native Association, started many years ago, centered around the then-unsolved homicide of Sophie. The annual rallies for Sophie eventually broadened to include all cases of unsolved homicide in the Fairbanks area. According to Strategic Development and Justice Director Shirley Lee, we are here today to say aloud the names of the missing and killed indigenous in our small community.

Starting point is 00:30:11 Behind each name is a life story, a child, an artist, a musician, a grand, a grand. grandfather behind each name is a mystery not yet solved. Let's hope that new developments in cold case investigations continue to solve the rest of these mysteries so that no one else has to wait 26 years for answers.

The Misery Machine - The Case of Sophie Sergie

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