What a Creep
Season 24, Episode 7
Diane Downs

Diane Downs gained infamy for the 1983 shooting of her three children, one of whom died, in Springfield, Oregon. The case became highly publicized due to the shocking nature of the crime and the subsequent investigation and trial. On May 19, 1983, Diane Downs drove her children to a rural road and shot them at close range. She then drove VERY SLOWLY  to a hospital, claiming that a “bushy-haired stranger” had shot her and her children during a carjacking attempt. However, inconsistencies in her story and evidence led investigators to suspect her involvement in the crime. Anne Rule’s book Small Sacrifices was turned into a TV movie starring Farah Fawcett and Ryan O’Neal that garnered huge ratings.
Trigger Warning: Child abuse & murder.Sources:

• Diane Downs Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diane_Downs
• Willamette Weekly: https://www.wweek.com/news/2023/10/04/oregons-parole-board-isnt-likely-to-release-diane-downs-anytime-soon/
• ABC News: https://abcnews.go.com/US/1983-diane-downs-stranger-shot-kids-police-decided/story?id=61683920
• Crime Museum: https://www.crimemuseum.org/crime-library/famous-murders/diane-downs/
• Distractify: https://www.distractify.com/p/diane-downs-children-now
• All That is Interesting: https://allthatsinteresting.com/diane-downs
• Small Sacrifices by Ann Rule: https://www.amazon.com/Small-Sacrifices-Story-Passion-Murder/dp/0451166604
• Diane Downs on Oprah! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsMXTsU4eqE
• Diane’s daughter: https://abcnews.go.com/2020/video/diane-downs-biological-daughter-finds-truth-birth-mom-61880672
• 1989 TV Movie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fUk6XsmIAE

For our non-creep, check out Camp Hope for Kids, a nonprofit camp for grieving families. 
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