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Deadly Trails
Was a serial killer shooting hikers near Anchorage, Alaska?
Most people understand they face the risk of encountering wild animals when they enter the woods in Alaska, but they do not expect someone to shoot them. When a series of murders occurred in parks and on trails near Anchorage in the summer of 2016, residents demanded more information from the police. Were the murders related to each other, was a serial killer stalking the city, was it safe to go hiking after dark, and what were the police doing to solve these murders? Police remained tight-lipped, and tensions rose.
Alaskans love the outdoors. They were either born in Alaska and from an early age spent time in the wilderness, or they moved to Alaska because they crave the great, wide expanses of nature the 49th state provides. Anchorage offers the perfect balance of urban culture and wilderness escape. It is a city full of employment opportunities but only a few minutes to a few hours away from rivers to fish, lakes to kayak, mountains to climb and trails to hike or bike.
Anchorage city-dwellers enjoy their hiking and biking trails, but they understand they take risks when they enter the Alaska wilderness. Black bears, brown bears, and moose all present hazards to users of wilderness trails. Recently, a black bear killed a teenager racing on a remote trail, and a brown…
