Hundreds gathered Wednesday evening on an Anchorage street corner to remember and pay tribute to Kelly Hunt, a 19-year-old woman from Shaktoolik who was found dead in Anchorage earlier this month.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Dozens gathered Wednesday evening on an Anchorage street corner to remember and pay tribute to Kelly Hunt , a 19-year-old woman from Shaktoolik who was found dead in Anchorage earlier this month.
Hunt was originally reported missing in early January after last being seen in the Spenard neighborhood. Family members say Hunt was on her way back to attend Alaska Christian College in Soldotna. Hunt’s body was found April 20 in a woodsy area near the 3500 block of Lois Drive. The death remains under investigation, and no arrests have been made.
When asked by Alaska’s News Source if foul play is suspected, Anchorage Police Chief Sean Case said investigators are looking to get to the bottom of that.
“We will continue through the process until we get to the end of the line where we can make that determination on whether this is going to be closed as a death investigation, or whether we’re going to transfer this over and consider it a homicide investigation,” Case said. Advocates for missing and murdered Indigenous people have questioned the process in searching for Hunt in the weeks after she went missing, including Alexis Savage, who identified herself to reporters as a concerned community member.
“A 19-year-old doesn’t just walk out the door when she has college on her mind, she was due to go back to school within the next week, and then she was found in a ravine,” Savage said. Case said police began investigating as soon as the disappearance was reported to them on Jan. 11 and that detectives followed up on leads day and night.
Antonia Commack, who identifies as an advocate for missing and murdered Indigenous people, said she did not believe authorities took Hunt’s disappearance seriously at first.
“They always tell us, ‘Oh they’re probably out doing whatever, but they’ll come back,’ Commack said. ”But what happens when they don’t come back? They always start too late. ”Man hospitalized with serious injuries following frightening Slush Cup crash, family saysIdentity of ‘Golden Orb’ found in waters off Alaskan coast revealed
Mmip Missing Murdered Indigenous People Alaska Missing Woman Missing Alaska Native Murdered Alaska Natives Alaska Murder Murder Mystery Murder Case Homicide Alaska News Ktuu
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Opinion: Anchorage’s shrinking schools aren’t inevitable — they’re the result of policy choicesPublic education succeeds when two things are in place: resources and accountability. Alaska has neither.
Read more »
Opinion: Why Anchorage needs a Public Safety CommissionThe commission is a must in order to build trust and accountability with law enforcement.
Read more »
Summer camps in Anchorage | Hometown, AlaskaWe take a deep dive into the long list of camps available in the Anchorage area, whether you're searching for a camp for one day, one week or the entire summer.
Read more »
Feeding eagles may soon be illegal in AnchorageWhether it is illegal to feed eagles, a nationally protected species, has always been a bit of a gray area under federal law, but the Anchorage Assembly is looking to make it clear.
Read more »
Anchorage musician’s arraignment in officer-involved shooting case delayed again as he remains hospitalizedAn Anchorage musician injured in an officer-involved shooting earlier this month is still in the hospital, leading to another delay in his court case tied to that incident.
Read more »
‘Not just a hillside problem’: looking at the future of Anchorage wildfire fighting fundingThe Anchorage Fire Department and the Municipality is taking a look at what the future of its wildland fire division, and what the future of wildfire prevention and suppression, will look like.
Read more »