1989 Danbury Cold Case Kidnapping Headed Toward Trial

A man accused in decades-old kidnappings was arrested after investigators reopened the case using DNA evidence, authorities said.

By Hayleigh Evans, Patch Staff

May 14, 2026 1:16 pm EDT | Updated May 14, 2026 1:21 pm EDT

Court records show a Danbury cold case kidnapping prosecution has been placed on the trial list. (Hayleigh Evans)

DANBURY, CT — A man accused in two 1989 kidnappings and sexual assaults in Danbury is headed toward trial, according to Connecticut Judicial Branch records.

Connecticut Judicial Branch records listed the case Wednesday as “On the Trial List, To Be Scheduled” in Danbury Superior Court.

David Coffey, 54, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree kidnapping and one count of conspiracy to commit first-degree kidnapping stemming from the abductions and sexual assaults of a 20-year-old woman and an 11-year-old girl in 1989.

The incidents occurred months apart — the first in January 1989 and the second in April 1989 — and both victims were abducted from the same Peace Street residence in Danbury.

According to police, Coffey was 17 years old at the time and lived about 600 feet away from the residence where the victims were abducted.

The investigation had gone cold for decades before the April 1989 victim contacted Danbury police in 2023 asking investigators to revisit the case using newer DNA technology.

Investigators later linked Coffey’s DNA to evidence in the case, authorities said.

After Coffey was arrested in October 2024 in connection with the April 1989 case, prosecutors later filed additional charges tied to the January 1989 incident.

Coffey later wrote a letter to his mother claiming his now-deceased biological father forced him to participate in the kidnappings and sexual assaults, according to The News-Times.

Coffey rejected a plea offer that would have sentenced him to 30 years in prison followed by 10 years of special parole in exchange for guilty pleas to two counts of first-degree kidnapping.

Assistant State’s Attorney Kristen Chiriatti said Coffey could face up to 70 years in prison if convicted, according to the report.

The state later withdrew the plea offer, and Judge Thomas J. Saadi placed the case on the firm jury trial list.

Court records show Coffey is being held at MacDougall-Walker Correctional Institution in lieu of $1.5 million bond.

Read previous Patch reporting here.