Alaska State Troopers say they have arrested a 27-year-old from the Interior village of Minto in the death last week of 73-year-old Knowland Silas, also from Minto.
Troopers received a report before noon on Sept. 1 that Silas had been found dead in his home, according to a release Friday. The cause of death wasn’t obvious, and his body was flown to the State Medical Examiner’s Office in Anchorage.
The death was classified a homicide following investigation and autopsy results, according to an email from Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Megan Peters. She did not provide additional details.
Troopers returned to Minto for a follow-up investigation on Thursday and arrested Zachary Charlie on charges of criminally negligent homicide, troopers said.
The two knew each other, Peters said. “Minto is a small community."
Charlie was arrested without incident, she said.
He was arraigned in Fairbanks on Friday.
Minto is a community of about 200 people above the Tolavana River flats northwest of Fairbanks.