What happened to Kathleen Doyle? ‘Into the Fire: The Lost Daughter’ uncovers Navy Vet's ties to infamous homicide
NORFOLK, VIRGINIA: Kathleen O'Brien Doyle was tragically murdered and sexually assaulted in her Granby Street home in Norfolk in September 1980. At the time of the crime, she was twenty-five years old and had recently married her true love, a Navy pilot who was serving on the USS Dwight D Eisenhower.
Any hope Kathleen had for the future with her husband was tragically stolen on September 9th, when an intruder entered her home, assaulted her, and left her for dead. She was killed between 7:30 pm and midnight, but her body was not discovered until around noon on September 11.
Who was Kathleen Doyle?
Kathleen was the daughter of a naval officer and the wife of a pilot. She had been married for just nine months when she was murdered in 1980. Kathleen and her tabby cat, Ike, were living alone in a little house on Granby Street in Norfolk, Virginia, while her husband was stationed aboard the USS Eisenhower in the Indian Ocean. At 25, Kathleen was an ambitious novelist who had recently begun journaling, expressing both her concerns and her optimism for the future.
Who killed Kathleen Doyle?
Kathleen had been dead for over two days before her body was discovered. She had been undressed, gagged, strangled with an electrical cord, and then raped and stabbed. Authorities initially suspected the crime was committed by an intruder or stranger. They collected semen from the scene but had few leads until serial killer Henry Lee Lucas was apprehended in 1983.
Henry claimed that he and his companion, Ottis Toole, were responsible for hundreds of unsolved murders across the country, including Kathleen's. The following year, authorities charged the pair based on his confessions. However, Lucas’s confessions were later proven to be fraudulent, leading to the withdrawal of the charges.
In a letter to the editor published by the Virginian-Pilot in 2003, Kathleen's father, John O'Brien, criticized investigators for their errors and expressed his steadfast belief that his daughter's killer would eventually be caught. Unfortunately, this resolution did not come before John died in 2016. Eventually, advances in science provided new hope. Genetic genealogy, a method that matches unidentified DNA to numerous samples stored in databases, became a popular technique for solving cold cases.
Authorities expected the technology to provide partial matches, which police might use to triangulate and identify prospective culprits. Norfolk detectives worked with Parabon Nano Labs, a leader in the field, to analyze DNA from Kathleen's crime scene. Through genealogical research, they swiftly compiled a list of over 30 potential suspects.
To make a direct comparison, investigators needed to collect DNA samples from each person on the list. Given that the suspects were spread across multiple states and with a backlog of other cases demanding attention, law enforcement anticipated that completing the investigation could take months, if not years.
In 2019, a group of Norfolk detectives attended a national seminar with other cold-case teams from across the country. The event offered a chance to learn about new technologies, collaborate on strategies, and share information. The Norfolk team, which held the Kathleen case's suspect list, met with a team from Michigan, where one of the suspects lived.
The Michigan investigators were familiar with Dennis Bowman's name. He had a criminal background, and they were aware of the accusations made by Cathy Terkanian, the birth mother of Dennis’s adoptive daughter.
The police also had Dennis Bowman's DNA on file and were prepared to offer it for comparison. The results confirmed that the semen found at the scene of Kathleen's murder matched Dennis’s DNA. Norfolk police issued a warrant for Dennis Bowman's arrest. Two days later, on November 22, 2019, they conducted a raid. Within a few months, Dennis was extradited to Virginia to face prosecution, and by that time, he had confessed to the crime.
Who is Dennis Bowman?
Following an investigation, Jonathan discovered that Dennis, a former Navy reservist with reddish-brown hair, a goatee, and wire-rimmed spectacles, had a history of violent crimes in Michigan. This led Jonathan to believe Dennis was Kathleen's murderer. Jonathan was stunned by the results of his initial online search for Dennis's name.
Only a few months before Kathleen's death, in May 1980, Dennis had been a suspect in a Michigan sexual assault and murder attempt. Jonathan also discovered that Aundria Bowman, Dennis’s adopted daughter, had mysteriously disappeared in 1989. Dennis, who had a history of abusing Aundria, was married to Brenda, a portly woman with curled bangs who had previously worked at the jewelry counter at the Meijer department store. Brenda gave birth to their daughter, Vanessa, fifteen months before Aundria disappeared.
In April 2010, Cathy received a letter that would change her life forever. A social worker informed her that the daughter she had put up for adoption 35 years earlier had disappeared from her new family in 1989. Driven by a need for answers, Cathy enlisted the help of an amateur detective and local officials, embarking on a decade-long quest to uncover what had happened to her daughter.
'Into the Fire: The Lost Daughter' follows that journey, delving into the deep depths of a terrifying true-crime tale that seems almost impossible to believe. The unshakable tie between mother and child, as well as the strength of maternal instinct across space and time, lie at the heart of this complex story.
Jonathan worked with the Grand Rapids, Michigan, police department, and a September 1980 court transcript showed that Dennis was in Norfolk for his two-week military exercise at the time of Kathleen's death. Dennis's DNA was found to match samples taken from the crime scene blanket and the rape kit. In November 2019, he was taken into custody. While incarcerated, Dennis confessed to killing both Kathleen and his adopted daughter, Aundria.
Dennis Bowman claimed he didn't plan to kill Kathleen Doyle
Dennis stated that he entered Kathleen's home through a back window, claiming he was inebriated and intended to commit a robbery. He said he didn't expect to find Kathleen there and hadn't planned to murder her. However, both of them ended up in the house together.
Dennis was in Norfolk for his regular two-week stint with the Navy Reserve and was also out on bail, awaiting trial for an attempted attack on a 19-year-old woman in Holland, where he had fired a revolver before fleeing on her bike. In June 2020, he was sentenced to two life terms plus 20 years in prison for Kathleen's murder.
'Into the Fire: The Lost Daughter' premieres on Netflix on September 12.