Jennifer Kiely, 35, was found dead by Sussex fire services at a coastal shelter in Eastbourne on the early morning of 22/1/2005. She suffered 16 stab wounds, a head injury, and was burned alive.
Jennifer had left her family after a mental breakdown. Sussex Police stated she lived in hostels and homeless shelters across southern England, using a baby stroller to carry her belongings.
Investigators believe the attack was sexually motivated. Police arrested two suspects in 2005, but later released them without charge due to insufficient evidence.
DNA samples collected at the scene, including from a cigarette filter, belonged to a man whose profile matched DNA from Jennifer's body and blood. However, this profile was not in the national database at the time.
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The cigarette butt found at the scene contained the killer's DNA. Photo: Sussex Police |
Two decades later, Sussex Police identified Keith Dowbekin, who died at 60 years old in 2014, as the suspect in Jennifer's murder, backed by clear DNA evidence.
Chief Inspector Simon Dunn stated that over the past several years, the investigation team traced and identified individuals sharing DNA components found at the crime scene. These individuals voluntarily provided DNA for forensic analysis. A sample taken from a man in northern England in summer 2024 helped police identify Keith Dowbekin as the suspect.
A background check confirmed Keith had lived in Eastbourne and associated with homeless individuals like Jennifer, strengthening the hypothesis that Keith was the perpetrator. "If Keith Dowbekin were alive, we would have asked the prosecution to charge him with Jennifer's murder", Inspector Dunn said.
Before the 2005 murder, Norfolk Police arrested Keith for his involvement in two separate rapes in Great Yarmouth in 2003 and 2004. At that time, regulations did not require collecting DNA samples from arrested individuals; only those charged had their DNA taken.
On 29/1/2005, one week after Jennifer's body was found, authorities stopped Keith at Dover Port for sleeping rough. They released him as no record existed for him in the Sussex Police crime database.
The investigation team also noted that Keith had previously provided a DNA sample as a witness for another murder case. However, police did not add this sample to the database because he was not a suspect in that incident.
In 2018, police used familial DNA technology to narrow the list of relatives. Only after officially identifying Keith as the suspect in 2024 did police learn about his previous rape arrests. Keith's DNA, still in police records, matched the crime scene sample.
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Jennifer Kiely was murdered at a coastal shelter in Eastbourne, 2005. Photo: Sussex Police |
Sussex Police stated their decision to publicly identify Keith considered significant public interest, the crime's severity, impact on the victim's family and community, and potential to identify other offenses. They are not seeking any other individuals in connection with the incident.
Inspector Dunn affirmed: "I am extremely confident that Keith Dowbekin is responsible for Jennifer's murder."
"After 20 years, the family is very grateful that the case has been solved and for the efforts of those who never gave up", Jennifer's family expressed.
Tue Anh (Independent, BBC)
