Alaska News

Police investigate death of 14-year-old found outside Anchorage church

Anchorage police are investigating the death of a 14-year-old girl found outside a Muldoon church Sunday afternoon.

On Monday, police identified the girl as Megan Sophie Johnson of Anchorage. Johnson was found outside the Muldoon Baptist Church on Muldoon Road at 3:34 p.m. Sunday.

According to a statement from police, witnesses said the girl had been with her 15-year-old boyfriend and a 45-year-old male acquaintance Saturday evening. The group had been sleeping outside the church, according to Anchorage Police Department spokeswoman Anita Shell. The men awoke Sunday to find the girl unresponsive, and Johnson was declared dead at 3:40 p.m.

Shell said Monday police did not know whether the girl was homeless.

The boyfriend and the acquaintance were brought to police headquarters for further questioning, according to the statement.

The Alaska State Medical Examiner's Office will conduct an autopsy to determine the cause of death. Shell said until then, police cannot say whether foul play may have been a factor in Johnson's death. No charges had been filed as of Monday afternoon.

Suzanna Caldwell

Suzanna Caldwell is a former reporter for Alaska Dispatch News and Alaska Dispatch. She left the ADN in 2017.

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