Finding the Murderer of Jessica Baggen

When a small Alaska town loses one of its children, the entire community grieves, and when a monster brutally rapes, murders, and discards that child, the residents cry out for answers and justice. In the case of Jessica Baggen, the folks in the community of Sitka, Alaska, would not have those answers for twenty-four years.

The people who loved and knew Jessica best described her as a “true Sitka kid.” Children who grow up in small, coastal Alaska towns and villages are unphased by the wet climate and don’t notice the short daylight hours in winter. Most love the outdoors and won’t hesitate to swim in the frigid water of the North Pacific. They will happily unhook the fish they just caught and perhaps even kiss the slimy animal as they pose for a photo. Alaska kids are tough, and most have a strong support system of family and friends. They are raised not only by their parents but by their entire community.

After searchers discovered Jessica Baggen’s body in May 1996, fifteen-hundred Sitka residents gathered for a candlelight vigil at the spot where she was found. The townsfolk were grief-stricken, angry, and scared. Who would do such a horrible thing in their small community, and could the monster be one of them?

Sitka, Alaska, is part of the Alaska Panhandle in Southeastern Alaska. It occupies the west side of Baranof Island…