Man arrested for the murder of Navy pilot’s wife nearly 40 years ago

A 70-year-old Michigan man has been arrested for the cold case murder of a Naval Aviator’s husband.

Dennis Bowman was was arrested on Friday, in connection to the murder of Kathleen Doyle, the wife of a Naval Aviator who was found raped, stabbed and strangled to death back in 1980.

As it turns out, Bowman is the adoptive father of Aundria Bowman, who vanished in 1989 aged 14 after accusing him of sexual assault. 

According to the Daily Mail, Doyle’s husband was deployed overseas aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower when his wife was murdered, her living alone in Norfolk, Virginia, at the time made her an easy target.

Bowman’s recent arrest was a high-water mark for Norfolk PD, who reportedly never stopped seeking justice for the fallen Navy spouse.

“This 39-year investigation demonstrates the Norfolk Police Department’s commitment to pursue justice for victims and their families no matter how long it takes,” said Norfolk Chief of Police Larry D. Boone. “No victim is ever forgotten.”

Bowman had been arrested for attempted kidnapping and rape in 1980, and was on parole at the time of the murder. He was subsequently returned to prison and released in 1986.

Aundria Bowman’s birth mother, Cathy Terkanian, believes Dennis Bowman killed her daughter.

“She didn’t just fall off the face of the earth,” she said. “That ‘someone’ is very likely the ‘someone’ they put in jail today.”

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