Crime & Courts

2 people found dead in Anchorage Wednesday night, police say

Two people were found dead within hours of each other late Wednesday night, according to Anchorage police.

Anchorage Police Department spokesperson MJ Thim said police responded to shots fired on the 1800 block of West 36th Avenue just before 9 p.m. Wednesday.

Thim said Thursday morning that when officers arrived they found a dead woman in the yard of a multiplex near Oregon Drive and 36th Avenue. She had been hit by a vehicle.

Thim said that the vehicle had been trying to drive away when it hit the woman and the multiplex. He said the vehicle remained at the scene when officers arrived and police were able to interview the driver.

Thim said an autopsy will be conducted to determine the exact cause of death.

Thim said others at the scene were questioned but no one was taken into custody Wednesday night. Thim said officers believe the incident was drug-related.

"We don't know what everybody's involvement was," Thim said. "We're still trying to piece together what went down."

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Then at 10:50 p.m., police found a man with stab wounds in the upper torso on the 200 block of East Northern Lights Boulevard near A Street.

He was declared dead at the scene. Thim said police questioned multiple people but have taken no one into custody as of Thursday morning. Thim said officers believe the man and other parties involved are homeless.

Police are still attempting to notify next of kin for both victims and declined to identify either person Thursday morning.

Thim said officers have no indication that the two events are linked. Thim went on to say detectives are confident they have solid leads and will solve both cases.

Correction: An earlier version of this story reported that the woman had been hit by a vehicle and shot. Police later said she was not shot.

Suzanna Caldwell

Suzanna Caldwell is a former reporter for Alaska Dispatch News and Alaska Dispatch. She left the ADN in 2017.

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