Diane Downs children: Where are Christie and Stephen now?

May 2024 · 4 minute read

DIANE Downs is serving a life sentence for horrific crimes she committed against her own children.

But what happened to her kids, Christie Ann and Stephen "Danny" Daniel?

How many children did Diane Downs have?

Diane Downs gave birth to four children.

Her first three children with her husband Steve are Stephen "Danny" Daniel (born 1979), Cheryl Lynn (born 1976), and Christie Ann (born 1974).

Conflicting reports say Downs also acted as a surrogate during her fourth pregnancy, giving birth to a daughter after her trial in 1984.

Critics said she deliberately became pregnant in order to garner sympathy from the jury.

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Downs said: "I got pregnant because I miss Christie and I miss Danny and I miss Cheryl so much.

"You can’t replace children, but you can replace the effect they give you.

"And they give me love, they give me satisfaction, they give me stability, they give me a reason to live and a reason to be happy, and that’s gone, they took it from me, but children are so easy to conceive."

She named the fourth baby Amy Elizabeth before the state handed her over to her adoptive parents.

Amy, who was adopted and given the name Becky Babcock, went public about her mother in 2010 and has also met her in a bid to find out about her roots.

What happened to Danny, Cheryl and Christie?

Downs' launched a violent attack on three of her children, Danny, Cheryl Lynn, and Christie Anne in 1983.

Despite being convicted, Downs has always maintained her innocence.

In May of that year, Downs shot her three children in her car at a remote roadside in Springfield, Oregon, before shooting herself in the forearm, cops said.

According to witnesses, she then drove at a pace of between 5-7 mph to the local hospital, where she then claimed to hospital staff she had been car-jacked by a stranger who shot herself and her children.

By the time she arrived at the hospital, Cheryl, seven, was already dead and the other two children had suffered devastating injuries.

The surgeon who helped to save Christie's life told ABC News: “When I looked at Christie I thought she was dead.

“Her pupils were dilated. Her blood pressure was non-existent or very low.

"She was white, she was not breathing. I mean, she is so close to death, it’s unbelievable.” 

But surgeon Steve Wilhite managed to revive Christie after her blood pressure dipped dangerously low and she suffered a stroke.

Danny was permanently paralyzed from the waist down as a result of his injuries.

Where are Christie and Danny now?

Christie and Danny were adopted by Lane County Prosecutor Fred Hugi and his wife, Joanne, in 1984.

Christie became the star witness in the case, bravely testifying against her monster mom.

According to Heavy, crime author Ann Rule said: "Crime author Ann Rule wrote on her website: "Christie and Danny – who somehow survived their gunshot wounds – have no contact with Diane.

"They have both graduated from college. Christie is married and had a baby boy in 2005.

"Danny, a computer whiz, is still partially paralyzed from the bullet in his back, but he is living a happy and normal life.

"They have grown up in a very happy home with the Hugis.”

Christie is now in her forties, according to Tuko, and the accident left her with a speech handicap.

She went to the University of Oregon and now lives with her husband and children in the town.

In 2005, she gave birth to her first child, a boy, and later gave birth to a daughter who she named Cheryl after her sister.

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As for Danny, he has kept his life private.

Danny is said to be going about his daily routine, but specifics regarding his personal life, such as his spouse and children, have remained a mystery, according to Tuko.

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