AK - Mackenzie Howard, 13, found dead in Kake church, 5 Feb 2013

[GannyP]

This is a longer article, I think it has a little more background info about the village.

http://www.capitalcityweekly.com/stories/021313/new_1099397749.shtml


Sorry if already posted, I'm searching for new info on the murder. I haven't found anything.

 

[doublestop]

An editorial piece on what this means to the village and bush community as a whole.

http://www.adn.com/2013/02/12/2786901/elise-patkotak-kake-will-survive.html

Elsewhere, I read that autopsy results would not be released.

I'm surprised this hasn't gotten more attention...she looks like such a bright light of a child, I would think it would attract attention, at least more coverage in the Alaska papers.

 

[tlcya]

thank you doublestop, that linked op-ed piece was very touching.

The people of Kake will survive this tragedy. They will survive the arrest of whoever committed this crime. They will find a way to heal the fabric of their lives because this is what they do and what they have done as a group for as far back as their common memory can extend. But it will never really be the same because at every gathering, every potluck, every dance, there will be an empty place where a pretty girl in pink and red once sat, viewing the world in front of her as limitless. That hole will never truly be filled - not by finding the murderer, not by his or her punishment, not by time.

Read more here: http://www.adn.com/2013/02/12/2786901/elise-patkotak-kake-will-survive.html#storylink=cpy

 

[gliving]

http://juneauempire.com/local/2013-02-16/suspect-being-held-kake-homicide-case

Posted: February 16, 2013 - 12:52pm
By EMILY RUSSO MILLER
JUNEAU EMPIRE
A suspect has been identified in connection to the death of a 13-year-old girl in Kake, according to authorities investigating the homicide.

Deputy Commander of the Alaska Bureau of Investigation’s Major Crimes Unit Rex Leath said in an online dispatch that a 14-year-old boy from Kake is being held in custody.

The boy’s name is not being released by ABI since he is a minor.

 

[gliving]

http://dps.alaska.gov/PIO/dispatch/Trooper Dispatches of 02-16-2013.20130216.txt

Location: Kake, Alaska
Case number: Ak13008658
Type: Homicide Investigation

At 2334 hours, on February 5, 2013 Alaska State Troopers received report of
a possible homicide in Kake, Alaska. The body of a young girl was discovered
in an arctic entry way at the Presbyterian Memorial Church. The girl was
identified as Mackenzie Howard, 13 years of age, of Kake. Alaska State
Troopers, investigators with the Alaska Bureau of Investigation as well as
evidence technicians with the State of Alaska Scientific Crime Detection
Laboratory responded to Kake to investigate the death. Upon initial scene
assessment by investigators the death was treated like a homicide. Upon the
completion of the scene investigation as well as the autopsy by the State
Medical Examiner=92s office the death was confirmed to be a result of a
homicide. Alaska Buruea of Investigation investigators and state troopers
from numerous communities in the state spent the next 10 days conducting further
interviews and evidence review and combining this work with information
provided by the State of Alaska Scientific Crime Detection Laboratory,
were able to identify a suspect in this investigation. That suspect, a 14
year old male from the community of Kake, has been subsequently placed in
custody by the Alaska State Troopers and is being transported to a Department
of Juvenile Justice holding facility in Ketchikan. Due to the fact that
the suspect is a juvenile his name and charges that are pending against him
cannot be released.

Author: Lt. Rex Leath
Received Saturday, February 16, 2013 11:16 AM and posted Saturday, February 16, 2013 11:42 AM

 

[tlcya]

so the author of the op ed piece was more than likely right. Someone from within the community.

thank you gliving, for bringing the news of arrest.

As this story unfolds and we find out the details of the homicide, it will only get uglier. There can be no nice way out. It is almost inevitable that the family will know the killer. After all, people gathered for the funeral of a respected elder are bound to be the primary suspects. It's not like some stranger could have committed this crime and then drove off in a car.

Read more here: http://www.adn.com/2013/02/12/27869...will-survive.html#storylink=cpy#storylink=cpy

Although with the memorial and all the visitors it WAS possible that killer was not from the village, I agree with her that statistically, it was the most likely result.

Very sad for the familys of both young people, and sad for the community as a whole.

 

[tlcya]

Trooper Lt. Rex Leath, overseeing the investigation, said Saturday that he could not yet reveal the boy's motive, whether he sexually assaulted Howard or specifically how she was killed. Leath said he could not disclose what charges the boy faced because the juvenile had not appeared before a judge and was not yet represented by a lawyer.

"He is our only suspect in this case at this time, and we did take him into custody because of his responsibility in the murder," Leath said. "We have looked into those questions, and we have found the answers, but we can't release them until he goes before a judge."

Read more here: http://www.adn.com/2013/02/16/2792107/boy-14-held-in-death-of-13-year.html#storylink=cpy

 

[tlcya]

Troopers said the suspect is a 14-year-old male from Kake and on Saturday he was being transported to a Department of Juvenile Justice holding facility in Ketchikan. His name and charges that were pending against him were not initially released, since the suspect is a juvenile, according to troopers.

http://www.ktuu.com/news/male-teen-...-death-ast-says-ktuu-20130216,0,6490022.story

 

[bluenoser]

Its been so long, I cannot even find a recent news article about MacKenzie

 

[tlcya]

We may not hear much. I think this may be governed by tribal law and not sure how that might affect the flow of info, in addition with the perp being a minor, odds are not good we will get much info on this one.

Such a bright happy girl. Very sad. I hope her family is doing as well as can be expected. It still blows me away that this apparently happened right across the road at the church.

I don't know if I could look at that chuch over there every day after something like this.

I mean its not the chuch's fault but man. thats hard.

 

[bluenoser]

I can't even find a recent article or update on her? Anyone else?

 

[Rayemonde]

August 2014:

KAKE, Alaska — Her body lay in the back entryway of the church for 11 hours after villagers called the Alaska State Troopers for help. She was a 13-year-old nicknamed “Mack” who wore big red glasses and loved to dance. The native Tlingit girl had been beaten to death...

The suspect was one of Kake’s own, the 14-year-old son of villagers who were friends with the Howards. The boy, who has not been publicly named because he is a juvenile, was flown to a juvenile facility on an island more than 100 miles away where he is still detained. A court hearing is set for the fall to determine whether he will be tried as a juvenile or an adult.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/na...lages- little-protection -for-alaska-natives/