Editor's note: This story follows another piece published by KNBA on Wed. Oct. 8, 2025, which reported on objections made to the Alaska State Troopers cold case website. On Thursday, troopers announced another round of revisions to their website based on feedback from victim advocates.
After six years without any updates, Alaska State Troopers updated their cold case website last month. But when they posted the new list of unsolved murders, they dropped cases they said had no viable leads. In response to community feedback, troopers have since restored the names they eliminated. They also changed the name of their website to Unresolved Homicides.
On Wednesday, troopers posted their latest update. It now has 115 names, compared to the 96 posted last month. Troopers said they had shortened the list in their September update to prioritize cases that they believe are solvable
Victim advocates protested that decision.
“This is our community,” said Charlene Apok, one of the victim advocates who objected to the changes. “These are services provided by the government. We have a right to know.”
Apok is director of Data for Indigenous Justice and says it is important for the public to see a complete record of cases, whether they’re viable or not.
Trooper spokesman Austin McDaniel says the changes were made based on community feedback. He said he heard from advocates directly, who told him they recognized troopers had good intentions in their update last month but were unhappy with the changes.
“We really do appreciate the feedback we received from Alaskans about this,” McDaniel said. “We have some recommendations for making it even better.”
Another victim advocate, retired police officer Michael Livingston, said he’s glad troopers have stopped deleting names.
“It is upsetting for people when they delete names without notice or explanation,” Livingston said. “Each time the troopers delete a name, we have to search through over 100 names and try to figure out why they were deleted. It is also disrespectful to delete names."
Livingston suggests that troopers create a second category on their website, which lists the cases they have solved, along with the date. Livingston has also been pushing for the Alaska Public Safety Department to develop a website similar to those in other states that include detailed profiles of the victims as well as photographs.
McDaniel says these recommendations are helpful and troopers will continue to welcome them.
"We’re not a never-say-never organization,” McDaniel said. “Our website is a work in progress.”
