The Midnight Sun Killer: James Dale Ritchie
Who was hunting hikers in Anchorage in 2016?
In the summer of 2016, residents of Anchorage Alaska were terrified after a series of murders occurred in parks and on trails. Nobody knew if the murders were connected. And they didn’t even know if they should be worried or not.
Residents in Alaska love the outdoors and since it stays light out so late in Alaska, many go out hiking and riding their bikes late at night. It often stays light out well into the morning hours and this led to the nickname The Midnight Sun Killer. And residents were forced to stay indoors fearing they may be the next victims.
After the horrors of the Israel Keyes case 4 years earlier, the Anchorage Police Department (APD) was wary of telling the public they had another serial killer. And they were very hesitant to say much at first since they didn’t want to spread panic throughout the community.
The Murders Begin
At approximately 7:45 am on July 3rd, 2016, a bicyclist riding on a trail by Ship Creek came across the bodies of two people. They were later identified as Jason Netter Sr., 41, and Briana Foist, 21. Both had been shot to death. Both victims were homeless on and off again and struggled with substance abuse issues.
Police ruled it a double homicide and confirmed the same gun was used in both murders. But released little information about whether the victims were together or not. And it’s still unclear whether or not the two even knew each other.
Police eventually released surveillance footage taken near the trail of two unidentified men to the public. And the two men were initially labeled persons of interest in the case.
Then 26 days later, on July 29th, the killer struck again. This time shooting Trayveonkindell Thompson, in front of his childhood friend Bobby Thompson. Thompson had been riding his bicycle home from work when he was killed and was shot between Duben Avenue and Bolin Street.
Three girls saw a man lingering around in the woods near Bolin Street just before the shooting. And they said that after they heard gunshots they looked out of their window and saw the same man they had seen just prior, grabbing the bicycle from the now-deceased Thompson before riding off.
Law enforcement arrived soon after and found Thompson suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. And although paramedics did all they could, he was sadly pronounced dead on the scene. Multiple witnesses were interviewed and this resulted in the creation of this composite sketch.
In the early hours of August 28th, 2016, 34-year-old Kevin Turner and 25-year old Brie De Husson were found shot to death in Valley of the Moon Park. An unidentified female discovered the body of De Husson at 1:42 am while walking in the park and called the police. And upon their arrival, they discovered Turner’s bullet-ridden body underneath a park pavilion.
Turner suffered from schizophrenia and bipolar disorder and was homeless at the time of his death. And was currently unable to find shelter in any assisted living facilities. De Husson was a well-known environmental activist in Anchorage and was well-loved by the community. De Hussons’ father believes he stumbled upon the murder of Turner taking place during a bike ride to see a friend and was subsequently killed as a result.
The Investigation
There was no connection ever established between the last two known victims. And very little evidence was left behind at the scene, leaving police with very little to go off again. The Alaska State Crime Lab was however able to confirm the same weapon used to kill Turner and De Husson had also been used in the previous homicides.
The police quickly understood the modus operandi and realized they had a serial killer on their hands. And in hopes of preventing anyone other shootings, APD released an advisory notice for citizens warning them to avoid hiking and parks/trails after dark. And the FBI was called in to assist in the investigation following the murder of Turned and De Husson.
Despite the alarming rise in homicides throughout the various parks and trails of Anchorage, Mayor Ethan Berkowitz hosted a press conference asserting gang violence was to blame for the recent killings. Even refusing to acknowledge the evidence suggesting a serial killer was responsible. And was ultimately later heavily criticized for this press conference and for his handling of the situation.
A $10,000 reward was offered by the FBI for anyone with information leading to the arrest of the suspect responsible for Thompson’s murder. Though they refused to comment on any connection between the other murders out of fear they may alarm the suspect and cause him to get rid of the weapon.
Over a 2 month period, a joint task force that was set up, which was composed of APD and FBI members went over upwards of 175 tips. With at least one of them leading directly to the killer. But were still no closer to finding their suspect.
That is until the night of November 12th, 2016 when APD Officer Arn Salao spotted a hooded man walking near the corner of 5th Avenue and Cordova Street in Anchorage at 4:30 am. He was supposed to be responding to an unrelated report but decided to stop the man and question him before heading to his other call.
Salao pulled up alongside the man asking him to stop, but the man refused to say anything and continued to walk forward completely ignoring him. Officer Salao repeated his request for the man to stop over his megaphone and started to follow him again; When without warning the man turned, walked towards him, drew his Colt Python, and opened fire.
Officer Salao was hit 6 times but managed to open his door and return fire. And began a physical altercation with the man who was only feet in front of him at this point. While all this was going down, Seargent Patzke spotted the commotion and opened fire on the man killing him on the spot.
Officer Salao was rushed to a local hospital and into emergency surgery. And after a grueling 7-hour surgery, was finally moved out of the ICU. And eventually went on to make a full recovery.
The man was later identified as 40-year-old James Dale Ritchie. And following his death, the Colt Python was sent to the Alaska Crime Lab where it was ultimately confirmed to have been the murder weapon responsible for the deaths of Brianna Foisy, Jason Netter Sr., Treyveonkindell Thompson, Kevin Turner, and Bryant De Husson.
Investigators later revealed that the investigative task force had not considered Ritchie a suspect, due to his lack of run-ins with the law over the decade prior. And after all the investigative work was done, and all the families were notified, a press conference was held naming James Dale Ritchie as the suspect. And residents no longer had to live in fear they may be next.
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