Watch the Dateline episode “A Walk In The Rain” now

Nineteen-year-old Sonya Ivanoff was from the small village of Unalakleet, Alaska.

Fresh out of high school in 2002, Sonya moved to Nome and found work at the admitting desk of a local hospital.

A few months later, her best friend Timayre also moved to Nome and they became roommates.

Nome was bigger than Unalakleet, but still a small town.

Sonya loved Nome. It felt like home.

And it felt safe — safe enough for her to walk home alone.

On Sunday, August 10, 2003, Sonya did just that.

That rainy night, Sonya and Timayre had been hanging out with friends.

Timayre had to work the next morning and decided to crash at a friend’s house.

But Sonya didn’t have to work until Tuesday and had all the time in the world.

So she decided to walk home.

Timayre said goodbye to her best friend and watched her walk off in the rain.

That was the last time Timayre saw Sonya.

When Timayre got home at 6 a.m. to get ready for work, Sonya wasn’t there.

Tuesday, Sonya still hadn’t shown up. She even missed work.

Timayre grew worried. She called around to friends and family.

No one had seen her. It wasn’t like Sonya to just disappear.

So, Timayre walked into the police department to report her missing.

On Wednesday afternoon, the volunteer fire department started looking for Sonya too.

It wasn’t long until they found her.

The news was not good.

Sonya had been murdered.

The investigation revealed a killer who was the last person anyone would suspect…

To find out what happened to Sonya, watch the full episode, “A Walk In The Rain” now.

You can also watch on Peacock TV or listen to the podcast.

After you’ve watched the episode, learn about two other unsolved missing person cases in Nome, Alaska.

Read about Joseph Balderas’s June 2016 disappearance here, and more about Florence Okpealuk’s August 2020 disappearance here.