Dateline NBC plans to re-examine the 2003 disappearance and brutal killing of Sonya Ivanoff in Nome, Alaska. The episode, titled “A Walk In The Rain,” will dive deeper into the case and come forward with chilling details about the killing. The episode will air on the network on Sunday, January 28, at 9 p.m. ET.
According to The Sun, Ivanoff enjoyed a night out with friends on August 10, 2003. The outlet mentioned that Ivanoff wasn’t feeling well and decided to return to her house. Sadly, this was the last time anyone saw her. A couple of days later, her roommate reported her missing, and the police initiated a search operation. After an extensive operation, the authorities eventually discovered her body in a gravel pit. Sonya Ivanoff had been shot in the head.
As the investigation moved forward, the police received an anonymous tip from a woman that Sonya Ivanoff got inside a police car that night. The Sun also reported that one of police’s vehicles went missing after the incident. Eventually, the authorities discovered the vehicle.
As per the publication, a police officer named Matthew Owens found the vehicle. He said unknown assailants fired at him before other investigators reached the place. The authorities believed the entire scene was staged and asked two police officers, including Owens, to take a polygraph test. However, Owens failed the test.
Where is Matthew Owens now?
Matthew Owens failed the polygraph test, while the other officer passed. According to The Sun, Owens denied his involvement in the murder case of Sonya Ivanoff. However, the investigators had found significant evidence against him. Eventually, the authorities apprehended Owens for the murder of Sonya Ivanoff. Following his arrest, several women from the community came forward and revealed that Owens allegedly sexually harassed them.
On the other hand, The Sun also reported that the police officer “threatened to kill them if they ever spoke about it.” In January 2005, the trial in the Sonya Ivanoff murder case began, and the jury found Matthew Owens guilty of first-degree murder. The Sun reported that the court sentenced him to 101 years in prison. According to Alaska’s Department of Corrections, Matthew Owens is currently serving his sentence in a federal prison in Otisville, New York.
