Three weeks have passed since police found the body of 21-year-old Michelle Lane in South Anchorage. Since then, people from across Alaska have joined in a demand for justice in her death. They refute claims by a 911 caller that Lane killed herself and have launched a Facebook page to keep their message strong.
"I just know she wouldn't commit suicide," said her aunt, Helen Lane. "We just know Michelle wouldn't do that. She had a whole bunch of plans for the future."
Anchorage police have provided few details about the circumstances surrounding Lane's death, citing an ongoing investigation. What police have released is that on Sept. 2 someone, unidentified by law enforcement, dialed 911 around 4:45 a.m.and reported a suicide. Police found Lane's body with an "apparent gunshot wound" at a home in the 7000 block of Huntsmen Circle, said Jennifer Castro, police spokesperson.
"It's still an open death investigation," Castro said Monday. "There are still statements that are being reviewed. Phone records are being collected."
Meanwhile, on a Facebook page created by relatives in Lane's honor, comments continue to pour in from people who knew Lane and others who did not.
On Monday, a video was posted showing Michelle Lane laughing as she bounced her daughter, Madalynn, into the air. One photo shows two young girls holding a cake with "Justice for Michelle Lane" written neatly in pink icing. A person posted a photograph of the phrase written on her arms in red marker and another had it painted on her nails.
There are notes, songs and prayers posted online. But mostly, there are photographs of people holding signs as the villages of the North Slope Borough challenge one another to keep the call for justice going.
A photograph taken in Lane's hometown of Point Hope shows about 70 adults and children standing with messages written on colored construction paper and cardboard at the Tikigaq School.
In Nuiqsut, about 400 air miles northeast of Point Hope, Kathleen Oyagak saw the Facebook page. The 24-year-old unrolled banners of white paper and covered her office at the Teen Center with signs also reading "Justice for Michelle Lane."
"I've only met her once, but she was a fun, outgoing girl and she just seemed happy," Oyagak said. "I'm hoping that (police) look more into the case."
Casey Ferguson, the 27-year-old father of Lane's child, said the number of people supporting Lane and her family both offline and online is encouraging. He spoke to Alaska Dispatch News from his home in Anchorage as 19-month-old Madalynn babbled in the background.
"It brings a lot of comfort to everybody knowing there's so many people out there supporting the family," he said. "It means a lot."
Castro asked anyone with information on the Lane case to call police at 907-786-8900.