Dateline: A Walk in the Rain – Who was Sonya Ivanoff and what happened to her? Details of the 2003 incident explored

Dateline: Unforgettable episode titled "A Walk in the Rain" retells an infamous crime story that caught nationwide attention back in 2003. It revolves around Sonya Ivanoff's vanishing and murder when she was only 19 years old, an Alaska Native. The series follows what transpired after her vanishing as well as the trial of the man accused of committing her murder in Nome, Alaska. This installment is anchored by correspondent Josh Mankiewicz.

Ivanoff's case was newsworthy not only due to the crime itself but also due to who ultimately was arrested and convicted—a police officer working for the same department that was investigating her murder. The facts of the case were of great concern to the community and spurred state legislative action.

Here's the official trailer for your reference:

Background: Who was Sonya Ivanoff?

As shown in Dateline, Sonya Ivanoff was born in the village of Unalakleet, on the west coast of Alaska. She had just relocated to Nome to work at the Norton Sound Health Corporation hospital. Quiet and ambitious by nature, Ivanoff had set her sights on attending college in Hawaii. Her friends described her as independent, friendly, and ambitious.

She shared an apartment in Nome with her closest friend, Timmery Towarak, who was also from Unalakleet. The two were childhood friends and stayed close after relocating to Nome for employment and educational purposes.

The night of the disappearance

Dateline showed that Sonya Ivanoff and Timmery Towarak spent the evening of August 10, 2003, with some friends at a small party. At the end of the evening, Sonya decided to walk home alone. Timmery said she saw Sonya walking off in the direction of their apartment complex about 1 a.m., skipping through the rain. It was the last time anyone would see her alive.

When Sonya did not come home and also did not report for work the following day, her friends and colleagues grew worried. She also could not be reached through phone calls or messages. A missing person's report was then filed with the Nome Police Department, and a search operation was immediately organized.

Discovery of the body

As depicted in Dateline, on August 12, 2003—two days after her disappearance—Sonya Ivanoff's body was found on a remote dirt road about two miles outside of Nome. A local volunteer firefighter discovered it. She'd been shot in the back of the head and left n*ked except for one sock.

The manner of death was identified as a gunshot wound. Authorities called the action execution-style. There were no immediate signs of struggle at the scene, and no weapon was recovered nearby. Her clothing and personal belongings were gone. Where her body was discovered was an area well-known to hunters and campers.

Initial investigation and suspect elimination

Dateline discovered that the police initially investigated people from the area who might have had contact with Ivanoff. The first to be suspected was a man by the nickname "Koonuk." He was well-known in the community and owned a blue truck, which some assumed matched a sighting of a car in the area at the time she disappeared.

However, after investigating the car and conducting a search of it, blood discovered in it was checked and found to belong to an animal. Besides that, his alibi was checked out—the man was not present in Nome at the moment Ivanoff had vanished. Through that, suspicion fell off of him.

The case took a different direction when a Nome resident, Florence Habros, came forward saying she saw Sonya getting into a Nome Police Department patrol car around 1:26 a.m. the night she vanished. This caused investigators to suspect a police officer might have been involved.

Attention to law enforcement: Owens and Piscoya

As shown in Dateline, two officers were on duty the night Ivanoff went missing: Stan Piscoya and Matthew Owens. Both were interviewed by detectives. Piscoya cooperated with a polygraph test and passed. Matthew Owens refused to take one at first, but later failed when he did.

Owens' patrol logs showed that he had reported a 90-minute break while on duty, during which he was not accounted for. This fact was prominent, as it fell within the time frame in which Ivanoff was last accounted for.

Finding the police SUV and key evidence

Dateline discovered that within a short time of Ivanoff's body being discovered, Officer Owens called in to report the discovery of a stolen Nome Police Department SUV in a deserted location. In the vehicle, police found several significant items: Sonya Ivanoff's identification card, a bullet casing, and a written note. The note stated that the murder was a random act and threatened that others might be targeted next.

Later, investigators determined that the SUV had been planted with the intent to mislead the investigation. The handwriting on the note was compared, and some discrepancies were found. Suspicion was more and more focused on Owens because of inconsistencies in his report and the unexplained gaps in his patrol time.

Search of the hunting camp and further evidence

As per Dateline, further investigation led police to a hunting camp owned by Owens' family. A search of the area yielded burnt remains of clothing, a shoe eyelet, and other forensic materials. A portion of these materials was suspected to be part of what Ivanoff was wearing when she vanished.

Even though no weapon of murder was ever found, the combination of physical and circumstantial evidence forced the authorities to charge Owens with the crime.

Arrest, trial, and conviction of Matthew Owens

Dateline showed that Matthew Owens was arrested and charged with the first-degree murder of Sonya Ivanoff. His first trial in early 2005 ended in a mistrial because the jury was hung. He was tried again later in 2005 and convicted. He received a 101-year prison sentence, regarded as one of the longest sentences ever in Alaska for a single murder case.

Prosecutors contended Owens had used his authority to trick Ivanoff into his car while on duty, and proceeded to murder her. The motive is officially not confirmed.

Legislative changes: The Sonya Ivanoff Bill

As shown in Dateline, After Owens' conviction, the Alaska State Legislature enacted a law in Ivanoff's honor. The Sonya Ivanoff Bill, enacted into law in 2007, provides for a maximum penalty against law enforcement officers found guilty of first-degree murder while in their official capacity.

The bill was brought forth to address the breakdown of trust in instances where police officers commit offenses in their capacity as officers.

The case of Sonya Ivanoff continues to be one of the most frequently discussed criminal cases in Alaska's recent past. Featured in-depth on Dateline: A Walk in the Rain, it highlights the challenges of crime investigation in remote communities and the need for accountability within law enforcement.

This episode of Dateline was an entirely chronological recounting of the case and sets out the facts in the order that they were presented in the wake of a young woman's untimely death.