This is the case number assigned to the bright young woman named Mary Anne Alexie. A vague and unimportant number, that represents a specific and very important person.
Mary was only 33 years old when her friends heard from her for the last time on October 9, 2012, over ten years ago. She had intended to travel to Anchorage to attend the Alaska career college, presumably to see what support she could get to start a good job, possibly a rewarding career. The fair was to take place in the Dena’ina convention center on October 21st and 22nd, a full ten days after her arrival to Anchorage. (1)
At around 3A.M the morning after she arrived in town, she called a friend, telling them she was in the Spenard area of Anchorage, and didn’t know where to go. Having no financial or family resources in town, it appears Mary had no place to be safe from the October weather that night.
After that, Nobody knows where she went.
Mary never contacted the college where she was intending to attend the career fair, nor did she ever contact friends or family again.
“I met her in an addiction support group.” says Wesley, founder of Operation:Nightlight, who had gotten to know Mary as a dear friend. “She was great, smart, kind.”
Sadly, here ends the publicly available information on her disappearance. Nobody has been able to give a description of her clothing that day, her next direction of travel, or an account of any possible actions she might have taken after that early morning phone call.
This is also, frustratingly, where the story ends for hundreds of Alaskans every year. Cold weather, violence, and lack of basic human needs result in the disappearances and deaths of Native Alaskans in droves, the majority of those being young women such as Mary. The sheer number of disappearances makes it difficult for police departments and organizations to get to the bottom of the causes behind this epidemic, leaving family members with nowhere to turn for help.
If we work together to reduce, and ultimately end, homelessness, the number of unaccounted-for people will drastically reduce, and bright, beautiful, worthy humans like Mary Anne Alexi, will never get lost in the cracks again.
If you have information on the whereabouts of Mary anne Alexi, or other Native Alaskan Missing persons, please contact the Alaska state troopers immediately, and donate to Operation:NightLight to keep the light shining on forgotten missing persons everywhere.
Sources:
- UAA 2012 Career and College Fair news bulletin: https://www.uaa.alaska.edu/news/archive/2012/10/31st-annual-college-and-career-fair-oct-2122.cshtml
- Missing persons bulletin for Mary Anne Alexie: https://dps.alaska.gov/AST/ABI/MissingPerson/MPBulletin