Anchorage police seek man linked to deaths of wife and her daughter

Anchorage police are searching for a man they say is connected to the deaths of a woman and teenage girl who were found dead Friday in a home in East Anchorage’s Scenic Foothills neighborhood.

Jalonni M. Blackshear, a 39-year-old Anchorage man who until early April worked as a corrections officer, is believed to have fled the state, authorities say.

Officers were called Friday to the 3800 block of Resurrection Drive for a welfare check just after 1 p.m. and found the 35-year-old woman and 14-year-old girl dead inside, police wrote in a statement. Police initially deemed the deaths suspicious but said in a statement Tuesday that they were being investigated as a domestic-violence homicide.

Police did not provide additional details surrounding the circumstances of their deaths.

Family members on Tuesday identified the woman as Raechyl Blackshear and the teenager as her daughter, Jayla Blackshear.

Raechyl Blackshear was married to Jalonni Blackshear, according to Elizabeth Coste, a close friend of Raechyl’s.

Raechyl Blackshear was last seen on April 1, said her cousin, Shannon Thompson. She missed shifts at work the next two days, which Thompson said raised red flags for the family.

Raechyl Blackshear was dependable and worked as a nurse at both Alaska Native Medical Center and Providence Transitional Care Center, according to Coste.

In the following days, Thompson said, Raechyl Blackshear’s co-workers tried to reach her but only received replies by text.

Concerned friends and family asked police to do welfare checks at the home, Coste said.

On Saturday, the Anchorage Police Department asked for the public’s help finding Jalonni Blackshear and said he should be considered armed and dangerous. Police at the time did not tie him to the deaths and had not yet announced that the suspicious death investigation had become a homicide investigation.

Police said Saturday that Jalonni Blackshear was wanted because he “currently has active warrants.” In an email, Anchorage police spokeswoman Renee Oistad said the warrant was sealed and declined to provide additional information.

On Tuesday, police again asked for the public’s help locating Jalonni Blackshear — this time announcing that he was believed to be tied to a double-homicide investigation.

Police said he was believed to be traveling somewhere on the East Coast.

“Other law enforcement agencies outside of Alaska are aware that Blackshear is wanted for questioning regarding a crime committed in Alaska,” Oistad wrote.

Friends and family of Raechyl and Jayla Blackshear this week said they were devastated by the news of their deaths.

Raechyl Blackshear was “smart, driven and a rock star mom,” Thompson said. Jayla took after her mother, she said, and was a bright student who was looking forward to high school.

It’s frightening knowing that Jalonni Blackshear has not been arrested, she said. “There is a good chance that he does not want to be found or taken into custody, so with him being armed and considered dangerous, we just want people to be careful.”

Jalonni Blackshear was a correctional officer at the Anchorage Correctional Complex from 2018 until April 6 of this year, according to Department of Corrections spokeswoman Betsy Holley. She said additional information about his employment is confidential, including the reasons for his departure from the job.

Jalonni Blackshear previously served in the military, according to Thompson.

Police described Blackshear as 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighing 250 pounds. They ask anyone with information about his whereabouts to call police at 907-786-8900 and press 0.

Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly described the relationship between Jalonni Blackshear and one of the victims.