The case remains open, and numerous efforts have been made to determine the identity of the decedent, including several forensic facial reconstructions of how she may have appeared in life. Passengers told CBS News that a "murder mystery" theme dinner had been taking place when the incident occurred, and several passengers first confused the crime for a hoax. (Loren Holmes/Anchorage Daily News via AP) Author: The Associated Press Published: 10:58 PM EDT August 9, 2019 Updated: 3:40 AM EDT August 12, 2019 ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP . According to the Violence Policy Center, Alaska ranked number one in murder of women by men in incidents where there were one victim and one offender from 2014 through 2018. The Alaska Public Defender Agencys longtime director, Quinlan Steiner, announced his resignation in April. Police said the body was found near milepost 108 of Seward Highway on Oct. 2. Zaz Hollander is a veteran journalist based in the Mat-Su and is currently an ADN local news editor and reporter. ", "DNA Match IDs Alaska Serial Killer's Victim After 37 Years", https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14666142/?ref_=ttep_ep3, https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/2020/09/22/do-you-know-this-woman/, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Murder_of_Eklutna_Annie&oldid=1140185336, Anchorage Memorial Park Cemetery, Anchorage, Alaska. [4][7][n 1], Eklutna Annie's body was markedly decomposed, indicating her death had occurred months prior. Anchorage police identified the second victim as Veronica Abouchuk. This years Iditarod field is the smallest in history. The caller later told officers the card a small memory card used in portable digital devices was discarded on the street at the corner of Fairbanks Street and 13th Avenue in Fairview, near the Gambell Carrs store. The SD card, reportedly discovered lying in the street in an Anchorage neighborhood, was labeled homicide at midtown Marriott and contained graphic, time-stamped images and video recordings of a man beating and choking a naked woman, according to charging documents. Brian Steven Smith is shown being arraigned on a charge of first-degree murder at the Anchorage Jail courtroom Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2019, in Anchorage, Alaska. Other images showed her being strangled by a man who was yelling at her to die in what sounded like a foreign accent, at one point stomping on her throat. State prosecutors say Darin Lee Jones, 54, and Shawn Michael Phillips, 52, killed Patricia Phelps, 48, in Anchorage's Spenard neighborhood in 2017. While the agencys inflation-adjusted spending has doubled in the past 30 years, its felony caseload has tripled, it says. A 48-year-old Anchorage man was charged with murder after someone found a digital card containing dozens of videos and photos that authorities say show him beating and killing a woman in a. When they were able to determine that this was an actual crime, then the investigation started to quickly speed up.. Smith has a truck matching the one in the images, and pings from his cellphone put him along Rainbow Valley Road off the Seward Highway, near where the womans body was found, within minutes of the last time-stamped photos of the body, the affidavit said. 28, 2020 at 10:10 AM PDT. Eklutna Annie is still unidentified, despite her face being reconstructed in both 3-D and 2-D.[4][23] Several missing women are believed to have also been murdered by Hansen. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen). A memorial for James Lucas Moren in an alley behind the Gaslight Bar on Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2016. Brian Steven Smith, 48, admitted to detectives that he was the man inimages and videos from the card, according to a document filed by the state Department of Law. Many questions remain unanswered Wednesday, including the identity of the woman. In June, U.S. Attorney General William P. Barr declared a public safety emergency in the state, announcing $10.5 million in funding for village police, equipment and public safety buildings. Pilot Project sites will implement initial response plans for tribal communities' response to new missing and murdered persons cases Anchorage, Alaska - United States Attorney Bryan Schroder announced Alaska's Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Pilot Project (Pilot Project) today. But the same weapon found on Ritchie at the time of his death an uncommon, vintage Colt Python .357 was used to kill four other people in a two-month span: Brianna Foisy, 20, and Jason Netter Sr., 41, on the Ship Creek Trail July 3, and Bryant "Brie" De Husson, 25, and Kevin Turner, 34, at Valley of the Moon Park on Aug. 28. Police point at recent hiring of new officers as an effort to make the city safer. Police were able to identify Smith, a native of South Africa, from the video after recognizing him from a separate, unspecified investigation, in part because of his accent. "They are engaging in this behavior where maybe a mature person would say, 'I'd never do that,' but to the people involved this is real stuff to them disrespect. And they say despite the number of killings, suspects are at large in very few of the cases. 1 language. Brehmer then enlisted the help of four friends, including 19-year-old Caleb Leyland, 16-year-old Kayden McIntosh and two other unnamed juveniles, to plan and carry out the murder at Schilmillers direction, according to the documents. Rodgers went on to kill another man in Anchorage and shoot two others who survived before his 26-hour rampage ended. It did not include those deaths. Police continued to investigate and interviewed her two days later after Snapchat video appeared, in which she appeared to confess, the documents say. The record in this case should reflect that, as a result of the policy and budget choices made by the legislative and executive branches the people of Alaska must tolerate long delays in the prosecution of the type of crimes charged in this case crimes against women, crimes fueled by substance abuse, crimes against law enforcement officers, crimes against rural Alaskans, the judge wrote. The final images on the card show the womans body face down in the bed of a pickup, and were time-stamped Sept. 6. According to the Violence Policy Center, Alaska ranked number one in murder of women by men in incidents where there were one victim and one offender from 2014 through 2018. Parents would be wise to monitor the activity of their children online.. A Snapchat video showed two of the teens accused of killing 19-year-old Cynthia Hoffman near the Thunderbird Falls trailhead in June apparently discussing the crime. Authorities who reviewed the SD cards contents said they remembered Smith from another investigation and found he was registered in early September to a room at a local hotel which had the same carpet pattern as the one in the video. This story was produced as part of a collaboration between Alaska Public Media and the Anchorage Daily News. Anthoney and his girlfriend moved to Anchorage from Twin Falls, Idaho, in 1985 when authorities in Idaho accused him of raping and brutally beating a twelve-year-old girl at a campground near Twin Falls. Police did not say why the SD card was in the street, but they believe Smith recorded the images himself, according to the AP. Throughout 2016, Ritchie murdered upwards of five individuals in and around Anchorage, Alaska, most of whom were in parks or along bike paths. Investigators believe the remains along the highway belonged to the woman killed in the videos and they believe Smith killed her in early Septemberand recorded the photos and videos himself. Thim declined to say anything about the other investigation, or whether Smith is a suspect in other crimes. Smith came to Alaska from South Africa about five years ago and became a naturalized U.S. citizen last month, according to the bail memo. Mike Dunleavy named Steiners replacement Tuesday: Samantha Cherot of Anchorage, who has worked both as a public defender and a private criminal defense and family attorney. If you or someone you know is struggling with a substance use disorder, help is available. Smith remained in jail on Wednesday where he is being held on an outstanding warrant. The Emerald Princess, operated by Princess Cruises, had departed from Seattle on Sunday for a week-long trip. MacDonald wrote that in addition to the Mountain Village case, hes overseeing two other homicide trials and a sexual assault case that have all been significantly delayed due to a public defender withdrawing late into the case.. Thats going to escalate things tremendously because when were talking about misuse of substances, that inhibition is gone. Her family was not contacted and her items were removed from her cabin. Smith is charged with first-degree murder. An ongoing Daily News and ProPublica investigation has found that one in three Alaska communities has no local law enforcement of any kind. There were no immediate details aboutthe earlierinvestigation involving Smith. Homicide detectives began combing through the 39 images and 12 videos on the card, all documenting a horrifying scene of violence against an unknown woman. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com. I said to his mother how cool he looked like a prizefighter about to enter the arena.". As Merritt approachedAndrew Robertson-Goughnor, police said, Robertson-Goughnor shot him. The woman, who has not yet been identified, is described as having long dark hair and possibly being Alaska Native. (The motion argued that the judge misunderstood the limits on public defenders, who do not choose which charges are filed.). Last Monday, Sept. 30, a woman called police dispatch to report that shed found an SD card containing a video of a homicide on the ground, police said. The victim was also wearing several pieces of jewelry, including an apparently handmade metal bracelet containing three turquoise stones,[2][8] a copper necklace containing shell beads, a pendant heart, a Timex metal wristwatch consisting of circular links and with a brown watch face, a ring carved from shell jewelry, and gold-plated, twisted metal hoop earrings. It was first broadcast on May 9th, 2021. A Wasilla woman was shot four times at home Sunday night and her husband is charged with her murder, according to Alaska State Troopers. Skidmore said the number of prosecutors is rebounding following a reduction years earlier and now includes more than 120 attorneys. In September 2020, a revised facial reconstruction of the victim was released by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. A 22-year-old Alaska woman pleaded guilty to murdering her 19-year-old "best friend" in 2019 after a man who was allegedly catfishing her offered her $9 million to kill someone. He also allegedly told authorities that he and Brehmer discussed killing another person, but the plan was abandoned, and he admitted to blackmailing Brehmer into raping people. We still dont know who she is and we dont know much about her," said Thim. More officers on the streets as with arecently addeddowntown foot patrol,members of which made an arrest in Moren's murder onChristmas Eve make streets safer. The . ' said APD communications director MJ Thim. ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - Clayton Andrew Charlie, who pleaded guilty in 2019 to second-degree murder in the stabbing death of a groundskeeper at the Alaska Zoo, has been sentenced to 55 years in prison. A man charged with murder is accused of fatally stabbing his 23-year-old daughter Friday in Anchorage's Fairview neighborhood. The caller told police the memory card had been found laying in the middle of the street of an Anchorage neighborhood. or redistributed. [9][12] She stood between 4 ft 11 in and 5 ft 3 in, and her hair color ranged from light brown to strawberry-blond. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! The remarks by the veteran judge came in a 37-page order to delay the murder trial of Alexie Walters, a man accused of beating his girlfriend, Gertrude Queenie, to death in 2017 in Mountain Village, on the Yukon River in Southwest Alaska. Ritchie is considered the main suspect in those killings, said Markiewicz. Witnesses say that the incident was described by crew members as "a domestic disturbance". MacDonald serves as the presiding judge for the Fairbanks-based Fourth Judicial District. Her eldest daughter Chloe was killed with her. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, In a separate federal investigation rising from the investigation, Schilmiller and Brehmer were indicted Tuesday on federal child pornography charges, including production and coercion and enticement of a minor. About three weeks before Hoffman was killed, Brehmer and Schilmiller began discussing a plan to rape and murder someone in Alaska, according to court documents. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. According to Hansen, Eklutna Annie had been wearing blue jeans, a sweater, and a brown leather jacket. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. When troopers arrived, they found Doubek lying just inside the front door. High winds cause damage, power outages across central Indiana . It took 26 days after Merrian's disappearance for her to be reported as a missing person and for the search for her to start. All rights reserved. [5][3], This unidentified decedent became known as Eklutna Annie due to the location in which her body was discovered. But they point out the majority of them were either involved in risky behavior or killed by someone they knew. Among those charged is Darin Schilmiller, whom authorities say presented himself as the millionaire Tyler from Kansas, using a fake photograph. Photos apparently show the woman underneath a blanketon a hotel luggage cart near a truck and in the truck bed, per the document. She championed any child she met that needed a second chance for success, her obituary said. [17], To date, Roxane Easland, Karen Evan, Megan Emerick, and Teresa Davis have been ruled out as being Eklutna Annie. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Police are careful not to blame victims of violent crimes. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. "She sounded pretty desperate, but the crew came up as quickly as they could", he said, adding that the incident occurred on the 9th floor of the 19-deck ship. Doubek slept downstairs. "I'd say a great number of our citizens don't engage in any activity that's considered dangerous.". [1], "Identifying [Eklutna Annie] means that no matter how you lived, whatever circumstances that you are in, that even after death, there is an equality here. Officials allege they destroyed some of Hoffmans clothing, purse and cellphone, and Brehmer texted Hoffmans family to let them know they dropped her off at Polar Bear Park in Anchorage. Veronica Abouchuck, left, and Kathleen Henry. Smiths wife of five years, Stephanie Bissland, told KTUU on Oct. 10 that Smith was a good husband, and she did not believe the allegations against him. "What we're seeing is that when we ask the community for assistance, they really respond to us," he said. "Same exactly happens to homicide cases. Nearly a week prior, on Sept. 30, someone called Anchorage Policeclaiming to have "an SD card containing a video of a homicide," according to a press release from authorities. Months before the alleged hit . He stepped out of the car and said goodbye to his mom and Marcy. Police immediately suspected John Newman's nephew, 23-year-old Kirby Anthoney. Anna Bill, a former Mountain Village police officer honored by the Alaska Federation of Natives for her advocacy on behalf of Alaska Native women and children, said the homicide was devastating for the victims family. Anchorage Police investigate the scene where human remains we found at mile 108 of the Seward Highway near Rainbow on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2019. Then, on Wednesday, Oct. 2, the womans body was found along Turnagain Arm, near the Rainbow trailhead. Last week, 23-year-old Darla Velador of Anchorage was stabbed to death. It's not that clear-cut, said McKinnon. Moren, a patron at the bar, was shot and killed in the alley as the bar was closing early in the morning on Dec. 24. In February 2017, 37-year-old Brandy Sullivan, an Alaska Airlines customer-service agent who lived in an upscale Anchorage suburb, was allegedly shot and killed by her estranged husband.. The card was also labeled homicide at midtown Mariott. [sic] A manwith some sort of English accent can be heard in the video as well. At the scene, troopers found the door handle to Gardners bedroom door had been broken off, with damage marks matching the blade of a broken maul found nearby. According to the affidavit, the couple had separate bedrooms. The death on Tuesday night triggered a lockdown of the 3,400-passenger ship. A district attorney has been selected to oversee the Bethel office and Skidmore said he is in talks with the North Slope Borough in hopes of funding the first Utqiagvik-based district attorney in several years. Doubek and Gardner shared a home in a Wasilla neighborhood off of Snowshoe Lane. TENNESSEE COLLEGE STUDENT ACCUSED OF FATAL SHOOTING IN DORM. APDsays when Moren left the Gaslight Lounge later that night,he was followedby Roy Schauer, 46. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. According to the bail memo, Alaska State Troopers earlier this year recovered a skull with a gunshot wound in an area near the location Smith later provided. But its workload is growing more quickly just between the 2017 and 2018 fiscal years, it saw a 16 percent increase in felony cases statewide, according to data the agency has presented to the Legislature. For all the good the internet can do, it can be a very dark place, Bryan Schroder, the U.S. attorney in Alaska, said at a news conference Tuesday. Brehmer and McIntosh used Leylands pickup on June 2 to take Hoffman on a hike at Thunderbird Falls, a popular location about 20 miles (32 kilometers) north of Anchorage. On Thursday, a grand jury indicted Smith onmurder and evidence tampering charges in Abouchuk's death. The domestic violence-related cases range from amother accused of suffocating her infant daughter,to a man accused of fatally shootinghis son-in-law. He then attempted to placate her, before pulling a gun, saying: "You do exactly as I say and you won't get hurt. In 2016, some 34 people were killed by homicide in Anchorage. Detectives knew almost immediately that something was wrong, that someones loved one was killed when they found her remains, he said. Such delays typically benefit defendants and make it harder for prosecutors to secure convictions, said Alaska Deputy Attorney General John Skidmore. Theres a new fight over Bering Sea black cod. Policeinvestigate the scene of an officer-involved shooting in downtown Anchorage onNovember 12, 2016. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Market data provided by Factset. They are unwilling to share details of crimes in which charges have not been filed. In September, the death of a man in the middle of a busy intersectionshut down anelementary school and a middle schoolwhile police investigated the killing. Witnesses say she was travelling with her children. Putting names to archive photos, China looks at reforms to deepen Xi's control, The children left behind in Cuba's mass exodus, In photos: India's disappearing single-screen cinemas. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. She wore several articles of clothing, including a brown leather hip-length jacket, a light-colored knitted sleeveless shirt (possibly white, beige, or light gray in color), blue jeans, and red, knee-high, high-heeled, zip-up boots. Brian Smith . The graphic videos show a woman being strangled and a mans voice saying justdie, the Associated Press reported. Here, "it's more groups of people who know each other and engage in high-risk behavior together," he said. The three cases police still considerunsolved are the deaths of Marcus Cosby Jr., 24, Elijah Zeller, 18, and Ian Bobich, 29. New documents from Ritchie'stime at community collegein Virginiapresent a portrait of a striving engineering student whose work was so good that a professor wrote in a 2013 letter of recommendation that he gradedRitchie's exams first and used them as the test's key. On that day, close to midnight, 48-year-old Charles Doubek called 911 and told dispatchers his wife had been shot, according to a version of events relayed in an affidavit by Alaska State Trooper investigator Jason Fieser. It is routine for me to enter class seeing several other students at the board with James as he provides guidance not only for my class but other classes as well.". Smith had registered a room at the TownePlace Suites by Marriott the night the video was taken, according to the affidavit. Digital evidence and statements show Brehmer was communicating with and sending videos and/or photographs of the events surrounding the incident to Schilmiller at his directive through the duration of the event, documents say. Detectives saythey have a "good understanding" of what happened and who was involved in each of those cases. There wasSelena Mullenax, a young mother studying for her GEDfound shotin a public park on a winter morning. So far, nothing has been found. data the agency has presented to the Legislature. I don't believe it.". (In addition to the 75 criminal attorneys, about 25 more work on appeals and childrens cases.) According to Hansen, he persuaded Eklutna Annie to help him winch his pickup free from the mud, although when he began to drive his vehicle free, Eklutna Annie attempted to run. He always committed his murders at night, often around midnight or a short time after. Street fighting in Bakhmut but Russia not in control, Saving Private Ryan actor Tom Sizemore dies at 61, Alex Murdaugh's legal troubles are far from over, 'The nurses wanted me to feel guilty about my abortion, From Afghan TV fame to a US factory floor. His wife is not implicated in the slaying. Troopers: Wasilla woman killed, husband charged with her murder, 2023 Iditarod pre-race coverage and Ceremonial Start, Melissa Fry has the forecast for the Iditarod restart in Willow, Animal rights group PETA continues targeting Iditarod sponsors. In the years since, he'd helped her live with lasting injuries. shut down anelementary school and a middle school, don't attribute 2016's increase in homicides to any one cause, mother accused of suffocating her infant daughter, killed in a downtown shootout with police, Here are the most-read Alaska Dispatch News stories of 2016. McIntosh was arrested, but Brehmer denied any involvement in the death. APD asked morning commuters to avoid the area. A corrections officer told the court Doubek was on suicide protocols and unable to participate. The victim has been identified as 39-year-old Kristy Manzanares, from the US state of Utah. Ritchie, the 40-year-oldkilled in a downtown shootout with policeafter he wounded an officer in an encounter early Nov. 12, is the prime suspect in the deaths of five people in 2016, APD said. 2022 Anchorage Daily News. An Alaska resident found a stray SD card lying on the street in late September and discovered gruesome content inside: images and video of a woman appearing to be assaulted and murdered. And so somebody who might have been using emotional abuse and threats and that sort of thing may escalate into more physical violence, Pearson said. ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- A Utah couple was celebrating their wedding anniversary aboard an Alaska cruise when the husband was found covered in blood next to his wife's lifeless body, a frenzy of . An affidavit filed with the criminal complaint against him details a strange chain of events that led police to a trove of gruesome videos and photos. All rights reserved. (Scott Jensen / Alaska Dispatch News). Other witnesses described seeing a bloody man threatening to jump off the ship. The Alaska teens are being represented by the public defenders office, which has a policy of not commenting on cases. Anchorage Police Department personnelwere investigating a fatal shooting near 15th Avenue and E Street early Sept. 13, 2016. Police detectivesdon't attribute 2016's increase in homicides to any one cause. Alaska copscharged an Anchorage man with murderTuesday after shocking videos found on a mysterious memory card allegedly capturedthe suspectassaulting and killing a woman whose remains were recently discoverednear a highway.