A juvenile was taken into custody Tuesday on charges related to the double homicide of 40-year-old Renee Millard and her 10-year-old son Dean, Alaska State Troopers say. The two were apparently shot at their home on North Autumn Lane in Meadow Lakes, just outside Wasilla, Monday morning.
On Tuesday evening, troopers said a juvenile was taken into custody on charges related to their deaths at 6 p.m. The case is being handed to the Division of Juvenile Justice.
"The two were found deceased on scene as a result of what appear to be gunshot wounds," troopers wrote. "Next of kin has been notified. The Alaska Bureau of Investigation is taking over the investigation into the deaths, which are being investigated as a homicide. AST was alerted to the shooting by a 911 call made from inside the home by (a) juvenile."
Medics said they had been staged nearby in case the victims needed treatment, but were told at one point to enter a fire station on Pittman Road for fear that a suspect was at large. Several troopers vehicles temporarily restricted access to the neighborhood Monday morning, with a helicopter searching the immediate area.
"The cause and circumstances surrounding the incident are still under investigation," troopers spokeswoman Megan Peters said Tuesday. "At this time, we do not believe the community is in danger."
Mat-Su Borough School District spokeswoman Catherine Esary said in an email that the district placed nearby Meadow Lakes and Tanaina elementary schools in stay-put mode Monday, with classes continuing inside school buildings. The stay-put order was lifted at Meadow Lakes soon afterward but continued until the end of the school day at Tanaina.
On Tuesday night, Esary said Dean Millard had been a student at Tanaina Elementary School. She added that school district counselors were available to help students, parents and staff.