Anchorage police chief responds to concerns raised in MMIP docuseries

Anchorage Police Chief Sean Case defended the department’s handling of a serial killer investigation featured in the documentary series “Lost Women of Alaska,” which examines the case of Brian Steven Smith, who was arrested in 2019 and convicted of torturing and killing two Alaska Native women, according to reporting by the Alaska Beacon. In the series, victims’ families and advocates question how Anchorage detectives handled the case and broader investigations involving missing and murdered Indigenous people.

Case rejected claims in the series that Anchorage provides an environment where perpetrators can target women and said the department has implemented policy changes, increased enforcement and expanded technology use to improve investigations. According to the Alaska Beacon, the Anchorage Police Department reported 39 active cases of missing adults as of March 10. Case said the department is also working to establish a victim advocate position within the homicide unit to improve communication with families of victims.