Photo: Anchorage Police Department
Human remains found earlier this month have been identified as 18-year-old Ataja Banks, an Anchorage teenager who went missing nearly two years ago.
On Tuesday (September 23), Alaska State Troopers confirmed the remains were discovered on September 4 near Moose Meadows Road in Wasilla, per PEOPLE.
"In November 2023, the Anchorage Police Department began investigating the disappearance of 18-year-old Anchorage resident Ataja Banks," state troopers said in a statement. "The Alaska State Troopers assumed case responsibility after it was determined that she was last known to be alive in the Mat-Su Valley."
Banks was officially reported missing on October 21, 2023. Banks' family told police they last heard from her in September 2023 and were unsure where she had been staying. A photo released by Anchorage Police showed Banks with black hair and brown eyes, standing 5'4" and weighing roughly 135 pounds.
Investigators now suspect Banks was murdered.
“Information obtained during the investigation has led Troopers to believe that Ataja was murdered," the statement reads.
The Alaska Bureau of Investigation is investigating Banks' death as a homicide. Banks’ next of kin have been notified, and the State Medical Examiner’s Office has completed an autopsy.
Authorities have not released further details regarding the cause of death or possible suspects.
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