A Nebraska prison inmate serving a sentence for kidnapping and raping a teenage girl died Sunday at an Omaha hospital.
Douglas Dowding, 59, had been incarcerated at the Community Corrections Center in Omaha, a spokesperson for the Nebraska Department of Corrections said in a statement Monday. He was serving a sentence of 43 to 50 years.Â
His cause of death had not been determined by Monday morning, the spokesperson said. Dowding was being treated for a medical condition. As is the case whenever any person dies in custody, a grand jury will conduct an investigation.Â
More than a decade ago, a 14-year-old girl told police that Dowding reeked of whiskey when he kidnapped and raped her on Jan. 25, 2003. In a plea deal, Dowding was allowed to plead no contest to kidnapping and attempted first-degree sexual assault in order to avoid a sentence of 70 years in prison.
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After an evening of roller skating, the girl went to a friend's house for a sleepover, but the night was cut short when the two got into an argument. At 2 a.m., the girl left her friend's house near 42nd and Grover streets to walk more than 2 miles to her grandmother's home.
Dowding, who had escaped from a Council Bluffs, Iowa, work release center a day earlier, drove up and asked if she wanted a ride. She said no and continued walking.
Dowding reappeared, standing next to his truck near 36th and F streets. She again refused a ride, but he grabbed her and shoved her into the truck. He then drove to Highland Park a mile away and raped her.