Murder scene DNA samples lead to Moscow suspect

DNA samples collected at the scene of the murder of a 71-year-old Belgian woman in Larnaca four years ago have led to the arrest of a Russian man in Moscow this week, police confirmed yesterday.

The bloodstained body of Ethel Althea Downing was discovered at her apartment by the owner of the flat two days after she was killed on May 24, 1999.

The victim, who held dual Cypriot and Belgian nationality, had lived alone in her coastal apartment since 1993 and was involved in charity work.
Police said the elderly woman was punched in the face several times before being stabbed by an intruder.

State pathologist Sophocles Sophocleous said the victim’s injuries suggested that she was not only stabbed but was also beaten about the head beforehand.

An arrest warrant was issued for the victim’s Russian neighbour after a trail of blood from the flat led them to his door on the same floor. But despite being put on a stop list, the suspect was thought to have fled the country.
But the trail of blood found near the scene of the crime contained the suspect’s DNA: four years on, after samples were sent to different countries, the Interpol office in Moscow informed its Cypriot counterpart that a man whose DNA matched the one found at the murder scene had been arrested and was being held in custody.

The Cypriot authorities are said to be in talks with Moscow over the extradition of the suspect, despite legal issues involving his transport to the island, with further evidence sent to Interpol in an effort to get the suspect sent back for trial.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.