There's no evidence that a self-proclaimed satanist serial killer, who claims to have victims in Alaska, is actually connected to any unsolved murders here, Alaska State Troopers said in a statement Tuesday.
"At this time the Alaska State Troopers are not aware of any information -- beyond Barbour's comments quoted in the press -- or evidence that would implicate Barbour with a homicide committed in Alaska," AST spokeswoman Megan Peters wrote in an email Tuesday.
Miranda Dean Barbour, 19, grew up partly in North Pole and Mat-Su, attending high school in Palmer before moving to North Carolina.
She is charged with murder in the November stabbing death of a 42-year-old electrical engineer in Pennsylvania.
In a jailhouse interview Friday, she told a Pennsylvania newspaper that she'd killed at least 22 people during her teenage years, including some in Alaska. She also said she was involved with a satanic cult operating in North Pole and the Mat-Su Valley, according to the Sunbury, Pa. Daily Item newspaper.
Late Tuesday, the FBI issued this statement:
"The FBI is currently assisting local police in the investigation into whether or not Miranda Barbour is linked to any additional murder victims. It is anticipated that the investigation will take some time to complete."
The statement didn't mention Alaska specifically.
Barbour's claims have been the subject of intense media attention in recent days, with Alaska law enforcement sources fielding dozens of calls from national and international media.
On Tuesday, the Anchorage Police Department said it had been "in contact with authorities in Pennsylvania," in a statement from spokeswoman Jennifer Castro.
"We will thoroughly investigate any claims that would require the assistance of our agency and as details become available from leading authorities," she said. "We have not been made aware of any activities occurring in our jurisdiction at this time."
Reach Michelle Theriault Boots at mtheriault@adn.com or 257-4344.
By MICHELLE THERIAULT BOOTS