Anchorage Failing to Protect Missing Alaska Native Women

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A new Anchorage resident is alarmed by the number of missing Alaska Native women in the city, with at least four cases reported since November 2024. The author, an Inupiaq and Yup'ik woman, says there is no public database to track missing persons and a lack of action from the Anchorage Police Department, which has failed to handle these cases with care or intent for justice. She calls for an outside audit and review of the department's policies and procedures, as well as the establishment of a dedicated Missing Persons Unit to reduce the time a person remains missing.

Why it matters

The issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women is a growing crisis in Alaska, with a lack of data, transparency, and effective police response deepening distrust across Native communities. This case highlights the urgent need for reform and accountability to protect vulnerable Alaska Native women.

The details

The author, a new Anchorage resident from Unalakleet, has counted at least four Alaska Native women reported missing in the city since November 2024, including Kelly Hunt, Candace Kruger, Dominique Jade Smith, and Alfreda Gregory. While some have been located, the author says there is no reliable public database to track missing persons cases. The author's own cousin, Sonya Ivanoff, was murdered by a Nome police officer after going missing. The author calls the Anchorage Police Department's handling of these cases a failure, pointing to the mishandling of the Cassandra Lee Boskofsky case as an example of the lack of care and intent for justice.

• Since the end of November 2024, at least four Alaska Native women have been reported missing in Anchorage.

What they’re saying

What’s next

The author calls for the city to establish a dedicated Missing Persons Unit to reduce the time a person remains missing, and to build partnerships with Indigenous organizations to find funding for these efforts.