WASILLA — The two people found dead at a Meadow Lakes home that burned early Sunday morning died of gunshot wounds in a double homicide, Alaska State Troopers say.
Troopers on Tuesday identified the two dead people as 30-year-old Wasilla resident Crystal S. Denardi and 43-year-old Ben G. Gross, owner of the lakefront home.
The two bodies were found inside a shop and detached garage at the roughly 4-acre property on West Coal Road, a quiet unpaved street next to Cloudy Lake. A third person called 911 just before 4 a.m. Sunday to report a shooting at the address.
Emergency responders arrived to find the shop on fire. The person who called 911 was also shot but was treated and released from a hospital, troopers said. They have not identified that person.
The incident happened at the same property where another fire in February destroyed a large home. In light of Sunday's fire, the State Fire Marshal's Office is reviewing a finding that the February fire's cause couldn't be determined.
Denardi's brother, 29-year-old Randy Denardi, said Tuesday his family first learned of the deaths when the daughter of the third person who was shot reached out on Facebook Sunday evening, while he and his father were working on the North Slope.
"I thought it was just somebody making a joke," Randy Denardi said. Then he called their mother, who lives in a tidy log home just outside Wasilla where Crystal Denardi also lived. She hadn't heard from her daughter and was looking for her.
"It's a shame that anyone would ever want to do something like this," Randy Denardi said. "I'm pretty sure there was some foul play going on and she ended up in the middle of it."
He described his sister as a "beautiful soul" born and raised in Alaska. Crystal Denardi graduated from Colony High School and studied forensic science in college, though she didn't pursue a career in that field. She modeled after high school and participated in cheerleading from sixth grade on.
Denardi went to the Meadow Lakes property last weekend with a friend, her brother said. He said he didn't know Ben Gross.
Gross grew up in Petersburg and also lived in Eagle River before moving to Mat-Su. He worked as a commercial fisherman and owned a 58-foot seiner registered for pots and longline gear in 2014, according to a state database.
Family members of Gross couldn't be reached for comment for this story.
The property where the shootings happened is in foreclosure, according to documents on file with the state recorder's office. A foreclosure sale was set for July 21.
The Alaska Bureau of Investigation continues to investigate the case. Anyone with information can contact the bureau at 907-352-5401 or report to the local Crimestoppers at 907-745-3333.