Troopers are investigating the death of a 19-year-old woman whose body was discovered outside a Western Alaska village health clinic Wednesday as an apparent homicide.
A village public safety officer told Alaska State Troopers that Chevak resident Roxanne Smart was found dead shortly after 11 a.m. in the community of 900 people. Troopers arrived from Bethel to investigate and are being assisted today by the Alaska Bureau of Investigation, according to a troopers report posted online.
Employees at the health clinic referred questions to the Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corp., where a spokeswoman was not immediately available. A troopers spokeswoman would not provide any additional information about the case, citing the ongoing investigation.
Chevak is roughly 17 miles east of Hooper Bay in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta.
Smart worked for a seafood company, Coastal Villages Regional Fund, over the summer as part of a "Youth to Work" program for 14- to 19-year-olds, according to a post today on the organization's public Facebook page.
"(She was) one of many that made this a great year for our young employees," the nonprofit wrote.
Check back for updates on this developing story.