Monthly Archives: November 2020

Alaska Triangle



When doing a podcast about murder and mystery in Alaska, it is difficult to avoid the subject of “The Alaska Triangle.” First named in 1972, the Alaska Triangle stretches from Anchorage in southcentral Alaska to Juneau in the southeast panhandle to Utkiagaviq (formerly Barrow) on Alaska’s northern coast. Since 1988, more than 16,000 people have vanished from this area, and every year, approximately four people go missing per every 1000 Alaska residents. This rate is twice the national average.

I was surprised when I first learned how many people disappear in Alaska, but I don’t need an underground pyramid or mysterious magnetic vortices to explain the statistics. I also don’t understand the need for a triangle since people disappear throughout the state, not just in the area outlined by a geometric figure’s hypothetical lines. I guess a triangle conjures up the aura of the Bermuda Triangle, though, and suggests the possibility of mysterious forces at play.

Honestly, I’ve always found the idea of an ominous Alaska Triangle laughable. Still, this year, I’ve received a flurry of questions about the Alaska Triangle, including queries from the producers of two television shows, wanting to know more about the mystical phenomenon. The popular U.S. show, The Blacklist, featured an episode on the Alaska Triangle, and I think it sparked a good deal of interest in the subject.

Many of the mysteries I’ve profiled on this podcast have taken place in the vast section of the state defined by the outline of the triangle. Most of the state’s population resides within this area, though, so it’s no surprise more people vanish there. Many disappearances and other mysteries in Alaska have never been solved. Planes vanish, boats disappear, UFO sightings baffle military officers, and in one instance, the population of an entire village fled their homes to escape a giant, hairy, manlike creature.

Let me tell you a few stories, and then I’ll explore the validity of the Alaska Triangle. My friend and fellow podcaster, Mary Ann Poll, who has the popular podcast Real Ghost Chatter, is better than I am at explaining the realm of the mystical, so I’ve invited her to help me describe one of the theories about the Alaska Triangle. Then, if you want to hear more stories about mysterious disappearances in Alaska, she has asked me to be a guest on her podcast, where I have one more incredible story of mystery for you.

 

Sources:

Liefer, Gregory P. 2011. Chapter Eleven: Without a Trace. Aviation Mysteries of the North. Publication Consultants. Anchorage, AK.

Gough, Cody. 2019. Thousands of People Have Mysteriously Disappeared in Alaska’s Bermuda Triangle. Discovery. https://www.discovery.com/exploration/Alaska-Bermuda-Triangle

The Alaska Triangle – Disappearing Into Thin Air. Legends of America. https://www.legendsofamerica.com/alaska-triangle

LeBlanc, Jocelyne. 2018. 10 Facts About the Little-Known Alaska Triangle. Toptenz.net. https://www.toptenz.net/10-facts-about-the-little-known-alaska-triangle.php

The Alaska Triangle – courtesy of the Locations Unknown Podcast. 2019. https://www.strangeoutdoors.com/mysterious-stories-blog/2019/11/26/the-alaska-triangle-courtesy-of-the-locations-unknown-podcast

Conger, Cristen. Why has part of the Alaska wilderness been called the Bermuda Triangle? How Stuff Works. https://adventure.howstuffworks.com/alaska-bermuda-triangle.htm

Japan Airlines Flight 1628 incident. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan_Airlines_Flight_1628_incident

Weiss, Lawrence D. 2019. Unfriendly skies: The extraordinary flight of JAL 1628. Alaska’s best known UFO encounter. https://www.anchoragepress.com/news/unfriendly-skies-the-extraordinary-flight-of-jal-alaska-s-best/article_8e2d3270-f9d5-11e9-b9db-7ba9229138ae.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

______________________________________________________________________________

If you would like to support Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier? Become a patron and join The Last Frontier Club.
Each month I will provide one or more of the following to club members.
· An extra episode of Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier available only for club members.
· Behind the scenes glimpses of life and wildlife in the Kodiak wilderness.
· Breaking news about ongoing murder cases and new crimes in Alaska
· Merchandise or discounts on MMLF merchandise or handmade glass jewelry
Become a Patron!

__________________________________________________________________________

Check out the store: Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier merchandise.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Subscribe to my free, monthly Murder and Mystery Newsletter for more stories about true crime and mystery from Alaska.
Join me on:
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Twitter
LinkedIn
Visit my website at http://robinbarefield.com
Check out my books at Author Masterminds

_____________________________________________________________________________

Robin Barefield is the author of four Alaska wilderness mystery novels, Big Game, Murder Over Kodiak, The Fisherman’s Daughter, and Karluk Bones. Sign up to subscribe to her free, monthly newsletter on true murder and mystery in Alaska.

 


The Unhappy Wife



Sitka, Alaska

We all know married couples who seem to thrive on discord. These are the people we avoid joining for dinner and the ones in whose presence we squirm as they argue, yell, and threaten. We wonder why they got married, and if they divorce, we’re certain no one else would want either one of them. Still, I’ve met couples who not only manage to survive their contentious relationships but enjoy sparring with their partners. Marriage is hard, but most of us try, at least for a while, to make a relationship work, and if it doesn’t work, we leave and go our separate ways. Jane and Scott Coville constantly fought, even before they moved to Alaska and married, but Jane did not divorce Scott; there was no need to sever ties with him because Scott conveniently disappeared. Did he grow disillusioned with Jane, marriage, and life in Alaska? Did Scott take off on his own for an adventure somewhere else, a place far away from his current responsibilities, or did something much more sinister happen to Scott Coville?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sources:

James Pietragallo & Jimmie Whisman. 11-22-2017. Small Town Murder Podcast #45. The Hottest Cold Case Around in Sitka, Alaska. https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/small-town-murder/e/52324451?autoplay=true

Scott Michael Coville. The Charley Project. http://charleyproject.org/case/scott-michael-coville

Grove, Casey. May 31, 2016. Mother in cold case describes years wondering about her son. Anchorage Daily News. https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/article/mother-cold-case-describes-years-wondering-about-her-son/2010/11/28/

Jane Reth. Murderpedia. https://murderpedia.org/female.R/r/reth-jane.htm

Sitka, Alaska. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sitka,_Alaska

________________________________________________________________________

If you would like to support Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier? Become a patron and join The Last Frontier Club.
Each month I will provide one or more of the following to club members.
· An extra episode of Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier available only for club members.
· Behind the scenes glimpses of life and wildlife in the Kodiak wilderness.
· Breaking news about ongoing murder cases and new crimes in Alaska
· Merchandise or discounts on MMLF merchandise or handmade glass jewelry
Become a Patron!

________________________________________________________________________

Check out the store: Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier merchandise.

___________________________________________________________________________

Subscribe to my free, monthly Murder and Mystery Newsletter for more stories about true crime and mystery from Alaska.
Join me on:
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
LinkedIn
Visit my website at http://robinbarefield.com
Check out my books at Author Masterminds

______________________________________________________________________________

Robin Barefield is the author of four Alaska wilderness mystery novels, Big Game, Murder Over Kodiak, The Fisherman’s Daughter, and Karluk Bones. Sign up to subscribe to her free, monthly newsletter on true murder and mystery in Alaska.