Where Are Diane Downs’ Children Now? A Look at the Survivors Decades Later

More than four decades after one of America’s most infamous family murder cases, the surviving children of Diane Downs have largely chosen lives far away from the spotlight.

In May 1983, Downs shot her three children, 8-year-old Christie, 7-year-old Cheryl, and 3-year-old Stephen “Danny” Downs, on a remote road near Springfield, Oregon. Cheryl died from her injuries, while Christie and Danny survived but suffered lifelong physical trauma.

Downs initially claimed a stranger had carjacked and shot the family, but investigators later built a case against her, helped by Christie’s testimony identifying her mother as the shooter.

Today, Christie and Danny remain alive, though they have spent years protecting their privacy. Their separate paths reflect a shared determination to move forward.

After the 1984 trial, Lane County prosecutor Fred Hugi and his wife, Joanne, took custody of Christie and Danny and later adopted them. The move gave the siblings a stable home after the devastating events of their childhood.

Christie survived a gunshot wound that caused a severe stroke, leaving her with speech and mobility challenges during recovery. Yet over time, she rebuilt her life.

According to crime author Ann Rule, who chronicled the case in Small Sacrifices, Christie graduated from college, married, and became a mother. Reports over the years have described her as devoted to family life and as intentionally avoiding public attention. One widely cited detail about her later years is that she named one of her children after her late sister Cheryl — a quiet tribute to the sibling she lost.

Friends and reporters familiar with the case have said Christie has avoided interviews and public commentary about her mother, preferring not to relive the tragedy.

Danny, who was just 3 years old during the shooting, endured catastrophic injuries. The attack left him partially paralyzed from the waist down, a condition he has lived with ever since.

Despite those challenges, Danny reportedly went on to forge a successful and fulfilling adult life.

Ann Rule described him as a “computer whiz,” noting that he completed college and built a relatively normal and happy existence. Like his sister, Danny has chosen privacy over publicity and has largely stayed out of media discussions surrounding the case.

Journalists who have followed the story say that both surviving siblings have consciously stepped away from notoriety, focusing instead on their personal lives, careers, and healing.

Downs’ fourth child, born while she awaited sentencing in 1984, followed a different path.

The baby, Amy Elizabeth, was removed by the state shortly after birth and adopted by another family, who renamed her Rebecca “Becky” Babcock. As an adult, Babcock publicly discussed the emotional toll of learning that her biological mother was a convicted child killer.

She has spoken about struggles with addiction and identity before eventually rebuilding her life and becoming involved in behavioral health work. Unlike Christie and Danny, Babcock has occasionally addressed her connection to Downs publicly.

While her children moved forward, Downs has remained incarcerated for decades.

Convicted in 1984 of murder and attempted murder, she received a life sentence plus additional years in prison. She briefly escaped custody in 1987 before being recaptured after a 10-day manhunt. Downs has continued to maintain her innocence and has repeatedly been denied parole.