Small Sacrifices
Ann Rule
A book-length account for readers who want more detail.
1983 · Oregon, United States
Diane Downs
The story behind Small Sacrifices
Photo credit
Betty Udesea / Wikimedia Commons · Public domain (U.S.). Cropped/resized.Photographs are cropped to fit. Photo dates and original images are available through the source credits.
Diane Downs drove her three wounded children to an Oregon hospital in 1983, claiming a stranger had shot them beside the road. Cheryl died; Christie and Danny survived serious injuries. Investigators challenged their mother’s account, and Christie testified against her. Downs was convicted of murder and the attempted murders of her surviving children.
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The Story
When1983
WhereOregon, United States
In this collection40 resources
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20/20 — Blood Ties
ABC · 2010 catalog, Episode 23 · Listed air date 2010-05-14
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Diane Downs
True Crime All The Time
An audio option for exploring this case while listening.
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Where are they now?
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Nicknames & media names
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Family Tree
The family relationships behind the story, gathered in one place.
Selected relationships only—not a complete genealogy. A family connection does not imply involvement in a crime.
FAMILY SNAPSHOT
Diane Downs
Children
- Christie Downs
- Cheryl Downs
- Danny Downs
These are the three children involved in the 1983 shooting. This is not a complete list of descendants.
Sources & Further Reading
About These Family Trees
These original diagrams summarize relationships reported by the linked sources. Community genealogy sites can contain errors and are not proof of identity or parentage. Full trees or record images may require an account. We omit speculative relationships, private contact details and unrelated living descendants.
Sources reviewed September 15, 2026. Suggest a sourced correction.
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Blogs & Essays
Read our articles here and explore outside perspectives, credited to their writers and publications. See this case in the Journal →
From the journal
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Blogs & essays
2 itemsAbout these sources
Outside essays and reading guides reflect their authors’ perspectives. Compare claims with reported and primary sources.
True Crime Stories · Blog / essay
Diane Downs
An outside blog or essay discussing Diane Downs. Read the author’s analysis alongside the dated reporting and court sources in this case guide. Some publishers require a subscription.
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The Lineup · book recommendations
Small Sacrifices in The Lineup’s reading guide
A multi-book guide includes Ann Rule’s account of the Diane Downs case. This is an editorial recommendation list, not an independent investigation or a current custody update.
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Books
CONTINUE YOUR READING
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Books
1 itemsAnn Rule
Small Sacrifices
A nonfiction account of this case. See the linked edition for publication details and available formats.
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Movies & TV
Movies
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TV & documentaries
6 itemsAbout these sources
Episodes, documentaries and title listings. Season and episode numbers follow the linked catalog and can differ by service. Air dates are separate from crime dates. Playback availability varies by service and region.
en.wikipedia.org
Small Sacrifices (1989) — television adaptation
Dramatized screen account. Follow the link for the title listing or available viewing options; scenes and dialogue may be adapted.
Fiction / DramatizationTitle Details · Not Playback
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IMDb · Screen title
Small Sacrifices (1989)
IMDb title reference connected to the Diane Downs case. Listed release: 1989. Cast, credits, and title information; viewing availability is separate.
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IMDb · TV episode
World's Most Evil Killers — Diane Downs (2020)
IMDb episode reference connected to the Diane Downs case. Listed release: 2020. Cast, credits, and title information; viewing availability is separate.
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Title search; Amazon availability is not confirmed. Check the edition, format, and viewing region.
IMDb · TV episode
Deadly Women — Fatal Attraction (2008)
IMDb episode reference connected to the Diane Downs case. Listed release: 2008. Cast, credits, and title information; viewing availability is separate.
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Title search; Amazon availability is not confirmed. Check the edition, format, and viewing region.
ABC · 2010 catalog, Episode 23 · Listed air date 2010-05-14
20/20 — Blood Ties
Includes coverage of Diane Downs.
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Search Amazon · paid linkEpisode details on TVmaze
Title search; Amazon availability is not confirmed. Check the edition, format, and viewing region.
Episode data: TVmaze · CC BY-SA 4.0
ABC · 2011 catalog, Episode 30 · Listed air date 2011-07-01
20/20 — July 1, 2011
Includes coverage of Diane Downs.
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Search Amazon · paid linkEpisode details on TVmaze
Title search; Amazon availability is not confirmed. Check the edition, format, and viewing region.
Episode data: TVmaze · CC BY-SA 4.0
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Audiobooks
An audiobook edition has not been confirmed for this case yet. You can check the audiobook catalog or explore the case’s podcasts.
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Small Sacrifices
Search Audiobook Editions · paid linkAnn Rule
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Fiction Work
Fiction Work
Browse all →Scripted stories and fictional inspirations. Scenes, characters, and dialogue can differ from the record.
en.wikipedia.org
Small Sacrifices (1989) — television adaptation
Dramatized screen account. Follow the link for the title listing or available viewing options; scenes and dialogue may be adapted.
Fiction / DramatizationTitle Details · Not Playback
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Search Amazon · paid linkViewing options & episode details
Title search; Amazon availability is not confirmed. Check the edition, format, and viewing region.
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Podcasts
Podcasts
14 itemsAbout these sources
Audio episodes and oral histories. Personal recollections are attributed perspectives; some services require sign-in.
True Crime All The Time
Diane Downs
Podcast coverage of the Diane Downs case. Released April 1, 2019. About 82 minutes.
PodcastAccess Varies · Check Source
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Killer Psyche
The Woman Who Shot her Own Children: Diane Downs, Part I
Podcast coverage of the Diane Downs case. Released April 18, 2023. About 41 minutes.
PodcastAccess Varies · Check Source
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Morbid
Diane Downs Mini Morbid
Podcast coverage of the Diane Downs case. Released July 2, 2019. About 48 minutes.
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Mile Higher
The Infamous Case Of Child Killer Diane Downs
Podcast coverage of the Diane Downs case. Released June 19, 2019. About 94 minutes.
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Residue: A True Crime Podcast
Small Sacrifices: Diane Downs, Part 1
Podcast coverage of the Diane Downs case. Released August 19, 2025. About 42 minutes.
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Crimes of the Centuries
Diane Downs: Beyond Small Sacrifices
Podcast coverage of the Diane Downs case. Released January 5, 2026. About 48 minutes.
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Show 8 more podcasts
Murder With My Husband
12. Diane Downs - The Psycho Mother
Podcast coverage of the Diane Downs case. Released June 1, 2020. About 33 minutes.
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The Killafornia Dreaming Podcast
#073 The Tale of Killer Moms: Susan Smith, Diane Downs, Casey Anthony, & Stacey Barker
Podcast coverage of the Diane Downs case. Released December 19, 2018. About 128 minutes.
PodcastAccess Varies · Check Source
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True Crime with Kendall Rae
The Disturbing Lies of Murderous Mother Diane Downs
Podcast coverage of the Diane Downs case. Released August 23, 2022. About 46 minutes.
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Our True Crime Podcast
189. Sins of the Mother: Diane Downs
Podcast coverage of the Diane Downs case. Released November 9, 2022. About 57 minutes.
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The Casual Criminalist
The Case of Diane Downs: Hungry Like the Wolf
Podcast coverage of the Diane Downs case. Released December 16, 2022. About 69 minutes.
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Residue: A True Crime Podcast
Small Sacrifices: Diane Downs, Part 2
Podcast coverage of the Diane Downs case. Released August 26, 2025. About 45 minutes.
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Criminology
Diane Downs
Podcast coverage of the Diane Downs case. Released November 12, 2023. About 55 minutes.
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This Feels Criminal: A True Crime Podcast (Formerly Killer Queens)
Diane Downs- Part 1
Podcast coverage of the Diane Downs case. Released March 30, 2019. About 65 minutes.
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Social Media
BRING YOUR PERSPECTIVE
Where would you start?
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Talk about sources and storytelling with care for the people affected. A documentary, a book and a court record serve different purposes.
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News & Reading
More Reading & Audio
4 sourcesExplore book records, previews, library audiobooks and selected documents. Access labels distinguish free material from library loans and paid subscriptions.
Open Library · Catalog / Availability
Small Sacrifices by Ann Rule
Bibliographic record for related reading. Check the edition page for previews, lending and other access options; full text has not been confirmed.
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Google Books · Catalog / Availability
Small Sacrifices
Related book record. Google may offer selected pages or another edition; full-book access is not confirmed.
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Google Books · Catalog / Availability
Small Sacrifices — Ann Rule
Rule’s account of the Diane Downs investigation and trial. This edition has bibliographic details and snippets; a complete free book is not confirmed. Edition record; available pages vary by region and edition.
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Google Books · Catalog / Availability
Small Sacrifices
Ann Rule. Related reading for Diane Downs. Book information and any pages made available by Google Books; this is not a promise of full-text access.
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Reading Access Notes
Search reviewed 2026-09-16. Sources searched: Google Books, Internet Archive, Open Library, Library of Congress, Smithsonian Magazine, The Atavist Magazine, Google Books (case/title search), Scribd, Everand, OverDrive and hoopla (combined title search). Search indexing is incomplete; this is not an exhaustive list of the web. Access can change by edition, country and library membership. Library loans may require sign-in or a wait. Everand titles may need a paid subscription; a trial is not permanent free access. Scribd documents are third-party uploads, with uploader details noted where checked. We link to source pages and write our own descriptions rather than reproducing copyrighted books.
A separate Texas Monthly search was blocked by the publisher’s automated-access rules and could not be verified.
News & reporting
1 itemsThe Washington Post
Contemporary reporting — June 1984
Linked reporting or commentary. Read the source date for its historical context; access may require a subscription.
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Newspaper clippings
1 itemsFeatured newspaper clipping
Read our original summary below. The archive link opens the newspaper’s own clipping viewer.
Statesman Journal · 1987-07-22 · Page 17
Salem residents react to Downs’s recapture
Local reporting records reactions after Diane Downs was recaptured following her escape from prison.
Historical reporting; read in the context of its publication date.
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Read the original at Newspapers.com. Access and subscription requirements are set by the archive.
Open full clipping at Newspapers.comKeep following the newspaper trail.
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Explore more on Newspapers.comNewspapers.com controls access to its archive. A subscription may be required; existing subscribers can sign in.
Internet Archive
4 itemsAbout these sources
Library records and preserved media. A catalog listing does not guarantee full reading or playback.
Internet Archive · Library record · 1988
Small sacrifices : a true story of passion and murder
Rule, Ann. A library catalog record for a book connected with Diane Downs. The record may offer a preview or borrowing options; full reading access is not guaranteed.
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Internet Archive · Library record · 1989
Diane Downs, best kept secrets : her own true story
Downs, Diane, 1955-. A library catalog record for a book connected with Diane Downs. The record may offer a preview or borrowing options; full reading access is not guaranteed.
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Internet Archive · TV News Archive
20/20 : KGO : March 22, 2019 9:00pm-10:58pm PDT
The archive indexes this broadcast under Diane Downs. It may contain several stories; use any available captions or previews to locate the relevant segment. Full playback may be restricted.
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Internet Archive · TV News Archive
Nightline : KGO : March 23, 2019 12:37am-1:07am PDT
The archive indexes this broadcast under Diane Downs. It may contain several stories; use any available captions or previews to locate the relevant segment. Full playback may be restricted.
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Court & Files
Court records & documents
1 itemsAbout these sources
Documents are labeled by type and scope. Allegations in filings are not findings of guilt. This collection is not the complete case file.
Court opinionArchive copy
Downs v. Hoyt — federal habeas appeal
Federal review of Diane Downs’s challenge to the Oregon convictions arising from the shootings of her three children.
- Court / agency
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
- Document date
- November 15, 2000
- Hosted by
- Justia
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Positive Outcome
Positive Outcome
0 itemsAbout these sources
Documented laws, advocacy and reforms. Listing a change does not claim it is effective or universally supported.
No case-specific reform has been verified for this collection yet.
Social Media
10 itemsAbout these sources
Case-specific posts, videos and communities. Community opinions are separate from verified reporting. Platforms may require sign-in.
Absolute Crime
Why Diane Downs Shot Her 3 Children | World's Most Evil Killers | Absolute Crime
Video from Absolute Crime covering the Diane Downs case. Length: 44:51.
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Kendall Rae
The Disturbing Lies of Murderous Mother Diane Downs
Video from Kendall Rae covering the Diane Downs case. Length: 47:30.
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dreading (crime and psychology)
When A Mother Kills Her Children: the case of diane downs |dreading
Video from dreading (crime and psychology) covering the Diane Downs case. Length: 1:19:20.
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FilmRise True Crime
World's Most Evil Killers - Season 3, Episode 2 - Diane Downs - Full Episode
Full episode or film as labeled by the publisher from FilmRise True Crime covering the Diane Downs case. Length: 45:10.
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DoctorOz
Diane Downs' Prison Born Daughter Speaks Out! | Oz True Crime
Interview or news segment from DoctorOz covering the Diane Downs case. Length: 17:31.
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ABC News
Why child murderer Diane Downs was arrested in chilling 1983 case (NIGHTLINE)
Video from ABC News covering the Diane Downs case. Length: 11:19.
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Show 4 more social media
ABC News
How criminalist analyzed Diane Downs' crime scene
Video from ABC News covering the Diane Downs case. Length: 4:54.
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Banijay Crime - Crime Documentary
Martha Wise’s Poisonous Revenge - Deadly Women - True Crime
Video from Banijay Crime - Crime Documentary covering the Diane Downs case. Length: 44:37.
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Facebook · Creator community
The Killafornia Dreaming Podcast — Facebook group
Linked by this creator in the episode notes for “#073 The Tale of Killer Moms: Susan Smith, Diane Downs, Casey Anthony, & Stacey Barker.” This discussion group covers multiple cases. The matching case episode is linked below. Group rules or membership approval may limit access.
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Facebook · Creator channel
The Killafornia Dreaming Podcast — Facebook page
Linked by this creator in the episode notes for “#073 The Tale of Killer Moms: Susan Smith, Diane Downs, Casey Anthony, & Stacey Barker.” This creator channel covers multiple cases. The matching case episode is linked below. The platform may ask you to sign in.
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