Category Archives: Episode

Betrayal of Trust: The Murder of Sonya Ivanoff



Recent events have reminded us that we cannot always trust the police to protect us. In the U.S., though, bad policemen and women represent only a small minority of law enforcement. I feel I can turn to the police if I need help, and if I report a crime, I believe they will respond and investigate my claim. The police in Nome, Alaska, however, often did not take reports of sexual harassment seriously, especially claims made by Alaska Native women. The Nome Police Department had a serious problem, and it took the murder of a beautiful, 19-year-old woman to expose the ugly truth.

Sonya Ivanoff

Sources:

Troopers whittle down murder suspects list. 10-22-2003. Whitehorse Daily Star.

Associate Press. Nome cop charged with murder. 10-27-2003. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

Brant, Tataboline. 10-29-2003. Nome police must work to regain trust after officer charged with murder. Anchorage Daily News.https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/rural-alaska/2018/08/23/from-2003-nome-police-must-work-to-regain-trust-after-officer-charged-with-murder

Anchorage AP. 11-10-2003. Suspect demonstrated suspicious behavior. Whitehorse Daily Star.

Nome, Alaska, AP. 1-19-2005. Trial begins for officer charged with murder. Whitehorse Daily Star.

Nome, Alaska, AP. 1-21-2005. Officer killed woman, staged theft, court told. Whitehorse Daily Star.

Nome, Alaska, AP. 1-24-2005. Murder victim entered police car, women say. Whitehorse Daily Star.

  1. 2-23-2005. Jury to begin deliberations in Nome Murder Trial. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

Nome, Alaska, AP. 2-25-2005. Murder trial hears final arguments. Whitehorse Daily Star.

Matthew Owens

Tsong, Nicole. 3-2-2005. Jury foreman: majority voted to convict officer. Sitka Daily Sentinel.

Nome, Alaska, AP. 11-30-2005. Ex-officer on trial for the second time. Whitehorse Daily Star.

Anchorage, Alaska AP. 12-9-2005. Nome, family settle suit over woman’s murder. Sitka Daily Sentinel.

Nome, Alaska, AP. 4-21-2006. Ex-officer jailed 99 years for murder. Whitehorse Daily Star. Owens v. State. 3-3-2010. Court of Appeals of Alaska. Court of Appeals No. A-9640. Casetext. https://casetext.com/case/owens-v-state-590

Mackenzie, Victoria and Maye-E, Wong. 12-22-2019. In Nome, Alaska, Review of rape ‘cold cases’ hits a wall. The Spokesman Review.

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I am excited to announce the release of my fifth novel —  Massacre at Bear Creek Lodge.

Watch the short video about Massacre at Bear Creek Lodge.

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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LinkedIn
Visit my website at http://robinbarefield.com
Check out my books at Author Masterminds

___________________________________________________________________________________

If you would like to check out one of my novels, visit The Readers and Writers Book Club, where you can read Murder Over Kodiak – Free! While you are there, take a look at some of the other free book serializations by wonderful authors in nearly every genre you can imagine.

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

 

 

 

 


Funny River Bones



Alaska is big; the state spans an area as wide as the distance from California to Florida, and much of the terrain is wild and inhospitable.  Alaska has 39 mountain ranges, 12,000 rivers, 100,000 glaciers, and 3 million lakes.  Much of the state is heavily forested, while boggy tundra covers other areas. In some regions, mudflats along the ocean act like quicksand, entrapping a hapless interloper so tightly, he can do nothing but watch the tide rise until he drowns. Avalanches and mudslides are common in the winter, and residents expect floods in the spring.  If you want to disappear, as this story will show, Alaska is the place to go.

Sources:

Tizon, Alex. 12-2-2017. In the land of missing persons: 2 families, 2 bodies, and a vast Alaska wilderness. Anchorage Daily News. https://www.adn.com/alaska-life/we-alaskans/2016/12/18/in-the-land-of-missing-persons-2-families-2-bodies-and-a-vast-alaska-wilderness/

Richard Hills. Track Missing. http://www.trackmissing.org/Cases/Details/561

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

I am excited to announce the release of my fifth novel —  Massacre at Bear Creek Lodge.

Watch the short video about Massacre at Bear Creek Lodge.

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

___________________________________________________________________________________

If you would like to check out one of my novels, visit The Readers and Writers Book Club, where you can read Murder Over Kodiak – Free! While you are there, take a look at some of the other free book serializations by wonderful authors in nearly every genre you can imagine.

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

 

 

 

 


How to Become a Widow



 

Someone entered Buck Hofhines’s Fairbanks home on a bitterly cold January night and shot him seven times. His young bride, Verna, discovered his body, and she appeared shocked and confused. She told the Alaska State Troopers that she didn’t know why anyone would want to murder her husband. Authorities immediately suspected her of the crime, but she had a convincing alibi. Verna Hofhines was on stage performing as an exotic dancer when someone brutally murdered her husband, Buck.

This crime and the resulting trial captivated the residents of Fairbanks. The trial included a “Perry Mason moment” and a violent offender who was not finished terrorizing the residents of Alaska.

Sources:

Brennan, Tom. 2005. A Fairbanks Divorce. Pgs. 7-87. Cold Crime. Epicenter Press.

Two Persons held in Hofhines’’ death. 2-24-1972. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

Harmonica Player, Dancer Charged With Murder, 2-25-1972. Fairbanks Pioneer All- Alaska Weekly.

State Presents ‘Barebones’ Case in Brutal Hofhines Murder. 3-3-1972. Fairbanks Pioneer All-Alaska Weekly.

Hofhines’ wife held, man freed in murder. 3-3-1972. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

 Preliminary Hearing Held in Hofhines Murder. 3-3-1972. Fairbanks Pioneer All-Alaska Weekly.

‘I wanted to be a widow’ Mrs. Hofhines tells court. 6-15-1972. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

The Hofhines Murder Case – A $5,000 Killing Done on Credit. 6-23-1972. Fairbanks Pioneer All-Alaska Weekly.

Anthony is guilty says jury verdict. 6-17-1972. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

Anthony given life term in Hofhines murder case. 7-26-1972. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

Go-Go Dancer Gets 20 Yr. Sentence For Murder One. 11-3-1972. Fairbanks Pioneer All-Alaska Weekly.

Anchorage jury finds Anthony guilty of murder. 10-12-1974. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

Convicted killer Anthony flees, manhunt underway. 10-14-1974. Fairbanks Daily  News-Miner.

Anthony Convicted, Escapes, Captured, New Charges. 10-18-1974. Fairbanks Pioneer All-Alaska Weekly.

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I am excited to announce the release of my fifth novel —  Massacre at Bear Creek Lodge.

Watch a short video about the novel.

 


Mystery Swirls Around the Disappearance of Vladimir Kostenko



Alaska Hatcher Pass

Friends and family describe Vladimir Petrovich Kostenko as a seeker, a man searching for the meaning of life and hoping to find his place and purpose in the universe. Alaska, with its raw, untamed wilderness, is a place popular for “seekers” trying to find themselves, calm their minds, and even attain spiritual enlightenment. Unfortunately, though, many of these dreamers have no idea how to survive in the harsh environment of the northern wilderness. Alaska is often breathtaking, beautiful, and peaceful, but it can also be a fierce monster waiting for you to make a fatal mistake. Chris McCandless either starved to death or ate something poisonous during his quest for enlightenment, and Timothy Treadwell felt he was “at one” with the bears until one killed him and ate him. The Alaska environment

Alaska Hatcher Pass

demands respect from those who travel there, and if you neglect to respect the wilderness, you will be lucky to survive. Was Vladimir Kostenko an ill-prepared “seeker,” or did something more sinister happen to him?

Sources:

Vladimir Petrovich Kostenko. The Charley Project. http://Charleyproject.org/case/Vladimir-petrovich-kostenko

Washington man missing after spiritual quest to Alaska’s Hatcher Pass. 10/19/2019. Pacific Northwest https://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/2019/10/washington-man-missing-after-spiritual-quest-to-alaskas-hatcher-pass.html

Medred, Craig. 10/19/2019. Gone Guy. Craig Medred. A Home for Readers and Thinkers. https://craigmedred.news/2019/10/19/gone-guy-2/

Medred, Craig. 10/21/2019. $60 Million Man. Craig Medred. A Home for Readers and Thinkers. https://craigmedred.news/2019/10/21/60-million-man/

Wasilla Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Scheme to Defraud Alaska Consumers. 8/15/2019. https://www.justice.gov/usao-ak/pr/wasilla-man-sentenced-federal-prison-scheme-defraud-alaska-consumers

_____________________________________________________________________________________

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

___________________________________________________________________________________

If you would like to check out one of my novels, visit The Readers and Writers Book Club, where you can read Murder Over Kodiak – Free! While you are there, take a look at some of the other free book serializations by wonderful authors in nearly every genre you can imagine.

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 Murder of John Hartman and the Fairbanks Four



“You’re trying to fill my brain with things I didn’t do.”

Rabinowitz Courthouse, Fairbanks

At 2:45 am on October 11th, 1997, three friends in Fairbanks were heading home from a bar when they discovered the badly beaten body of 15-year-old John Hartman. Someone had kicked the boy’s head so many times that he was unrecognizable. He died the following evening when his parents agreed to take him off life support.

Sources:

O’Donoghue, Brian. 7-12-2014. Vent attorney alleges ‘prosecutorial misconduct. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

Fairbanks Four when Charged

O’Donoghue, Brian. 9-28-2014. The Fairbanks four: The elusive hunt for truth. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

Boyce, Rod. 8-30-2015. Keeping the public informed – Inside the decision to publish in a divisive case. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

Friedman, Sam. 10-6-2015. ‘Fairbanks Four’ trial begins. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

Friedman, Sam 11-10-2015. Attorneys for ‘Fairbanks Four’ wrap up case. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

Friedman, Sam. 12-18-2015. The four freed. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

Fairbanks Four after Release

Buxton, Matt. 12-30-2015. Fairbanks Four announce fundraiser for their attorney whose husband died in Anchorage plane crash. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

Friedman, Sam. 12-18-2016. 1 year out: What’s happened since December 17, 2015, when the Fairbanks Four were released? Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

Engman, Eric. 6-14-2017. Arlo Olson, key witness in Fairbanks Four trials, dies in reported jail suicide. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

___________________________________________________

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

___________________________________________________________________________________

If you would like to check out one of my novels, visit The Readers and Writers Book Club, where you can read Murder Over Kodiak – Free! While you are there, take a look at some of the other free book serializations by wonderful authors in nearly every genre you can imagine.

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 Bethel School Shooting



Before Santa Fe, before Marjory Stoneman Douglas, before Sandy Hook, and even before Columbine, there was Bethel Regional High School in Bethel, Alaska. On February 19, 1997, Evan Ramsey loaded a Mossberg 500 12-gauge shotgun, hid the gun in his pants, and rode the school bus to the Bethel Regional High School, where he attended classes. What happened next would tear apart the small town of Bethel, Alaska, and as with all the school shootings to follow, students and parents would be left asking, “Why?”

Sources:

Evan Ramsey

Evan E. Ramsey. Murderpedia. https://murderpedia.org/male.R/r/ramsey-evan.htm

10-10-2007. Four Wounded in Cleveland School Shooting Rampage. Anderson Cooper 360. CNN. http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0710/10/acd.01.html

McBride, Rhonda. 2-22-2017. Twenty years after the Bethel School shooting. Alaska PublicMedia.

Bethel Alaska

https://www.alaskapublic.org/2017/02/22/20-years-after-the-bethel-school-shooting/

Ron Edwards and Josh Palacios

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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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

___________________________________________________________________________________

Recent Book Release

__________________________________________________________________________________

If you would like to check out one of my novels, visit The Readers and Writers Book Club, where you can read Murder Over Kodiak – Free! While you are there, take a look at some of the other free book serializations by wonderful authors in nearly every genre you can imagine.

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 Kidnapping and Murder of Amy Sue Patrick



We can never know another person’s thoughts and motivations. Most killers have a reason to commit murder; whether for revenge, jealously, or money, they understand why they killed their victim. Kyung Yoon, though, said he did not know why he killed Amy Sue Patrick. He claimed he murdered her on the spur of the moment, but some evidence suggests Yoon premeditated the crime. Events in this case took a bizarre twist when the troopers arrested Yoon and hauled him to prison.

Sources

Mathiesen, Peter B. 2015. The Story of Amy Sue Patrick. Tales of the Alaska State Troopers. Skyhorse Publishing. New York, NY.

Doto, Pamela. 9-27-1991. House sitter, 18, disappears. Anchorage Daily News.

Wohlforth, Charles. 10-7-1991. Wasilla woman apparent murder victim. Anchorage Daily News.

10-8-1991. Suspect apparently took his life after confessing. Anchorage Daily News.

10-8-1991. Man held in murder falls sick in jail, dies. Sitka Sentinel.

Enge, Marilee. 10-9-1991. Troopers say Yoon took arsenic. Anchorage Daily News.

10-9-1991. Arsenic Found after murder suspect dies. Sitka Sentinel.

10-12 -1991. Toxicologist tells how arsenic works. Anchorage Daily News.

10-14-1991. FBI probes death of suspect in Anchorage. Sitka Sentinel.

Enge, Marilee. 10-16-1991. Yoon’s letters ask forgiveness. Anchorage Daily News.

10-16-1991. Troopers defend way murder case handled. Sitka Sentinel.

Randall, Gail. 10-19-1991. Troopers call in dogs to search for body. Anchorage Daily News.

10-20-1991. German Dogs to search Alaskan landfill for body. The Seattle Times. Available at: https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive?date=19911020&slug=1311977

Doto, Pamela. 10-26-1991. Search for body on again. Anchorage Daily News.

Doto, Pamela. 10-27-1991. Teen’s Body Found. Anchorage Daily News.

11-15-1991. Murder suspect’s rights not violated, FBI says. Sitka Sentinel.

Randall, Gail. 11-20-1991. Crime lab can’t tell if teen was molested. Anchorage Daily News.

Randall, Gail. 12-4-1991. Yoon killed himself, inquest finds. Anchorage Daily News.

Randall, Gail. 3-22-1992. Why did Kyung Yoon confess? Anchorage Daily News.

___________________________________________________________________________

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

___________________________________________________________________________________

Recent Book Release

__________________________________________________________________________________

If you would like to check out one of my novels, visit The Readers and Writers Book Club, where you can read Murder Over Kodiak – Free! While you are there, take a look at some of the other free book serializations by wonderful authors in nearly every genre you can imagine.

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.

 

 

 


Gone Without a Trace



Ben Eielson
Russ Merrill

Airplanes first disappeared in Alaska as soon as they glided over the mountains, glaciers, oceans, tundra, and forests here. The rugged ocean and landscape of Alaska offer an abundance of places for a plane to vanish. Over the years, many planes have gone missing in Alaska, but not all the outcomes were bad, especially in the early years of aviation in the territory. Often, days or even weeks after a plane disappeared in a remote region and the pilot was assumed dead, he would wander out of the brush and into a village.

Sources:
Leon Crane

Mondor, Colleen. 2012. The Map of My Dead Pilots. Lyons Press. Gilford, CT.

Coppock, Mike. Flying on the Edge: Alaska’s Legendary Bush Pilots. History.net. https://www.historynet.com/flying-on-the-edge-alaskas-legendary-bush-pilots.htm

Wien, Noel. Pioneer/Entrepreneur. Aviation Hall of Fame. https://www.nationalaviation.org/our-enshrinees/wien-noel/

A WWII Survival story from the Charley River. National Park Service. https://www.nps.gov/yuch/learn/historyculture/leon-crane-survival-story.htm

Davis Joy. 9-4-1979. Rhode plane wreckage in Alaska found by hikers after 21 years. Fish and Wildlife Service. Department of the Interior. https://www.fws.gov/news/Historic/NewsReleases/1979/19790904a.pdf

Ian Mackintosh

Ian Mackintosh

MacLeod, Calum. 2013. Did spy writer’s disappearance mirror his fiction? https://www.whatson-north.co.uk/whats-on/books/did-spy-writers-disappearance-mirror-his-fiction-112358/

Folsom, Robert G. 2012. The Life and Mysterious Death of Ian Mackintosh. Potomac Books

Eric Johnson 9-20-04. AKfatal.net. https://www.akfatal.net/Johnson%2009-20-04.htm

Search for missing aircraft continues in Katmai National Park. Katmai. National Park Service. https://www.nps.gov/katm/learn/news/katmai-missing-plane-3.htm

Mondor, Colleen. 7-8-2015. Aircraft missing in Alaska Bush remain among state’s

Rhode’s Grumman

 

 

 

unsolved mysteries. Anchorage Daily News. https://www.adn.com/bush-pilot/article/missing-aircraft-alaska/2015/07/08/

______________________________________

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

___________________________________________________________________________________

Recent Book Release

__________________________________________________________________________________

If you would like to check out one of my novels, visit The Readers and Writers Book Club, where you can read Murder Over Kodiak – Free! While you are there, take a look at some of the other free book serializations by wonderful authors in nearly every genre you can imagine.


The Murder of Shelley Connolly



As soon as detectives saw her body, they knew someone had violently abused and murdered her. Forty-one years later, investigators believe they finally know who killed Shelley Connolly.

Sources:

DNA links Oregon man to 1978 cold case murder of Shelley Connolly https://www.ktva.com/story/40997206/troopers-arrest-man-accused-of-1978-cold-case-murder-of-shelley-connolly

Oregon man arrested, charged with teen’s murder in 41-year-old Anchorage cold case https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/crime-courts/2019/09/03/oregon-man-arrested-for-teens-murder-in-41-year-old-anchorage-cold-case/

Details about Gresham suspect emerge from 1978 Alaska cold case https://www.oregonlive.com/crime/2019/09/details-about-gresham-suspect-emerge-from-1978-alaska-cold-case.html

Alaska’s DNA detectives make an arrest 41 years after teen’s murder https://www.ktuu.com/content/news/Alaskas-DNA-detectives-make-an-arrest-41-years-after-a-teens-murder–559314791.html

Bail reduced for suspect in 1978 cold case murder of Shelley Connolly https://www.ktva.com/story/41969168/bail-reduced-for-suspect-in-1978-cold-case-murder-of-shelley-connolly

 

____________________________________________________________________________

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

____________________________________________________________________________________________

NEW BOOK RELEASE

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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 Brutal Killings at Cache Creek



Money often leads to greed and sometimes even to murder, so we should not be surprised to learn about a miner killing other miners for their gold, the rawest form of currency. This story sounds believable from our jaded twenty-first-century perspective. In 1939, though, to the miners in Cache Creek country, the residents of Talkeetna, and people in Anchorage, the murders at Cache Creek represented the worst type of betrayal of the code of trust and respect followed by the independent men and women who labored in the mud to eke out a living and extract a valuable mineral from the earth. When the FBI did not quickly apprehend the killer, miners began to lock their cabins and fear their neighbors.

 

Sources:

I based this story almost entirely on the book The Mystery of the Cache Creek Murders by Roberta Sheldon, published in 2001. I have only outlined the basics of the murders in this newsletter, so if you want more details, not only about the murders but also about the life of a gold miner in Alaska in the 1930s and 40s, I recommend Ms. Sheldon’s book. She presents the context of these murders against the backdrop of the years leading up to WWII, and she gives the reader a glimpse of how the FBI operated in those years and the near lack of law enforcement in the wilderness of Alaska.

Sheldon, Roberta, 2001. The Mystery of the Cache Creek Murders. Publication Consultants.

Alaska’s “Gold Rush” Years 1832 – 1913. History of Mining in Alaska. http://www.alaskaminers.org/mining-history-in-ak

Dunham, Mike, 2012. Fire destroys historic Forks Roadhouse in Susitna Valley. Anchorage Daily News.https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/article/fire-destroys-historic-forks-roadhouse-susitna-valley/2012/04/05/

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

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

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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.