Alaska News

AK Beat: Kenai police seek missing family

Missing Kenai family sought: The Kenai Police Department is looking for help in locating a local family. KPD Sgt. Scott McBride said 37-year-old Brandon Jividen, 22-year-old Rebecca "Becca" Adams, and two small children, 6-year-old Michele Hundley and 3-year-old Jaracca Hundley, have not been seen or heard from since May 27. McBride said neighbors and the family's landlord called police to ask for a welfare check, and officers discovered them gone from their Kenai apartment on May 31. McBride said the family's vehicles and belongings were still at the apartment. For now, Kenai police do not suspect foul play. "I have had cases in the past where somebody just up and leaves for vacation or a camping trip and didn't tell anyone," McBride said. "We are hoping that that's what the case is in this event." Anyone with information about the family's whereabouts is urged to contact Kenai police at (907) 283-7879.

Anchorage inmate found dead: The Alaska State Troopers say that 33-year-old Kirsten M. Simon, an inmate at the Anchorage Correctional Complex, was found dead inside her holding cell Friday evening. AST said an officer found Simon, not breathing and with no pulse, during a security check of her cell at 6:39 p.m. Troopers said that no foul play is suspected in Simon's death and that the state medical examiner will conduct an autopsy. Simon had been booked into the downtown jail on a warrant for theft in the second degree and forgery. Simon's death is the fourth inside Alaska jails this year. On April 4, Davon Mosley, 20, died at the Anchorage Correctional Complex. On April 10, corrections officers at Hiland Mountain Women's Prison, in Eagle River, found 24-year-old Amanda Kernak dead inside her cell. Mark Bolus, 24, was found hanged in a cell on May 11 and died two days later. In Mosley and Kernak's cases, the Alaska Department of Corrections said the deaths were due to the inmates' medical conditions. Correction: An earlier version of this story omitted the death of Mark Bolus.

Father killed in Kasilof ATV rollover: The Alaska State Troopers report that 30-year-old Benjamin Kruse was killed after he rolled his ATV at 11:30 p.m. Friday night. Troopers said Kruse lost control of his ATV while riding with his 3-year-old son on Red Ribbon Road, near mile 113 of the Sterling Highway; the child was not injured. Neither Kruse nor his son was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash, according to troopers. Troopers said that alcohol is believed to have been a factor in the crash, and Kruse's body was sent to the state medical examiner for an autopsy.

Fairbanks man shoots intruder: A 25-year-old Fairbanks man shot and wounded an intruder at his home early Saturday morning, according to the Alaska State Troopers. Troopers said that just after midnight, the unidentified man called 911 to report that he had shot two intruders who entered his home. A short time later, Troopers reported, a 32-year old man arrived at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. The incident is under investigation.

Craig Medred

Craig Medred is a former writer for the Anchorage Daily News, Alaska Dispatch and Alaska Dispatch News. He left the ADN in 2015.

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