Suspected killer of woman found dead on seafront named 20 years after her murder following DNA 'breakthrough'

The body of Jennifer Kiely, 35, was discovered at a seafront shelter in Eastbourne, East Sussex, the early hours on 22 January 2005.

The attack was believed to be sexually motivated and the case had gone unsolved for 20 years.

Today, police have named Keith Dowbekin as the likely killer after finding his DNA on a cigarette butt, which matched the DNA on the victim's body. The force did so by tracing members of his family. 

Dowbekin, also known as Keith Black and Keith Broadbent, would have received a murder charge, but he died aged 60 in 2014.

However, it has emerged he could have been caught earlier - when he was stopped at the Port of Dover just a week after Ms Kiely's body was found.

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Dowbekin admitted being in Eastbourne at the time and gave detectives a fake address.

He had been linked to members of Eastbourne's homeless community, including Ms Kiely, and was released without charge when he was arrested over separate rape cases in Great Yarmouth in 2003 and 2004.

The suspect’s DNA was not taken due to Norfolk Police's procedures at the time.

Detective Chief Inspector Simon Dunn, of the Surrey and Sussex Major Crime Team, said: “In hindsight, if further intelligence checks were completed in 2005 and the rape allegations were identified then Dowbekin may have been treated differently.

"Due to current robust investigative practices I am confident all relevant intelligence checks would now be completed on persons in similar circumstances.”

Ms Kiely had reportedly grown estranged from her family after a breakdown in her mental health.

She was moving between hostels and homeless shelters across the south coast and kept her belongings in a pushchair that was found on top of her dead body. 

Police tested DNA recovered from her body and other items from the scene such as discarded cigarette butts. 

Detective Chief Inspector Simon Dunn said a 2018 breakthrough in DNA technology helped to identify multiple suspects. 

But one, a man from the north of England, was identified last year and police described him as the "final piece of the puzzle".

Chief Inspector Dunn said: “Over the past few years we have traced and identified several people who shared similar component parts of the DNA found at the crime scene, all of whom volunteered their DNA for forensic analysis. 

“A sample obtained from a man in the north of England in summer of 2024 proved to be the final piece of the puzzle which meant we could formally nominate a suspect.

“He has been identified as Keith Dowbekin – alias Keith Black and Keith Broadbent – who was originally from the North West of England and died in 2014, aged 60.”

It was only after he was identified as a suspect that the rape-related arrests in 2003 and 2004 came to light. 

“We contacted the force and were able to confirm that the DNA they still had on their system matched that of the DNA we obtained from the murder scene. 

“This proved to be a significant milestone in our investigation.”

Ms Kiely's family said they are "grateful for the resolution of her case and for the hard work of those who never gave up".

They said she was "more than her struggles" and a "gentle, funny and creative soul who loved music and cared deeply for others".

"While this brings a sense of closure, it does not erase the loss of a kind, loving and vibrant woman who meant so much to those who knew her, especially her children," the family added.