In a community that's begging for news about a double homicide on its island, an FBI press release on Wednesday offered a few clues into the deaths of 51-year-old Richard Belisle and 41-year-old Petty Officer 1st Class James Hopkins. They were found shot to death on Kodiak's Coast Guard base the morning of April 12. Authorities are still searching for a suspect.
The FBI, the lead agency, has repeatedly told the press that the residents of Kodiak, all across Alaska, and the rest of the country, aren't endangered by the unknown killer. Specifically, FBI spokesman Eric Gonzales has said that "nothing in the investigation has led the FBI to believe that anyone is in danger."
READ MORE: Two-part series on how Kodiak is coping with the tragedy
Now, the FBI and U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service are seeking information on handguns sold, traded or transferred in the state of Alaska that might connect to the shootings. According to the release, the FBI is hoping the public can help them locate a .44-caliber Smith and Wesson handgun, models 29 or 629, or a .44 magnum Taurus. Those with information should call 1-800-225-5324.
The guns are revolvers of a similar style. The press release does not say so, but the appeal would certainly indicate a .44-caliber Magnum was used to commit the murders.
Revolvers, unlike semi-automatic handguns, contain all of the cartridges in a cylinder. Thus no spent shell casings are left at the scene of the shooting. The conclusion as to what kinds of guns might have been involved has to be based on the rifling of the bullets recovered from bodies. Revolvers, however, are also messy. A lot of gunpowder residue leaks out around the cylinder when they are discharged and sticks to the hands and clothes of whoever is using the gun.
Authorities searched the home and cars of one Kodiak resident. It is unclear if they seized clothing or anything else for testing.
How or why Belisle and Hopkins were killed still remains a mystery. Those investigating -- the Coast Guard, the Alaska State Troopers, agents from Homeland Security, and the FBI -- have kept information tight. The press release announcing the FBI's interest in the involvement of a Smith and Wesson or a .44 magnum is the first scrap of information the community has been offered in quite some time.
There have been no arrests.
Contact Katie Medred at Katie@alaskadispatch.com