18-year-old woman found dead 2 years after vanishing was killed, Alaska cops say
A missing 18-year-old woman was found killed two years after she vanished in Alaska, troopers said.
Ataja Banks’ body was discovered Sept. 4 in the area of Moose Meadows Road in Wasilla, Alaska State Troopers said in a Sept. 23 release.
Her remains were identified, and authorities said they believe she was killed.
The Anchorage woman was last in contact with her family mid-September in 2023, the Anchorage Police Department said in a 2024 Facebook post.
She was then reported missing in October 2023.
At the time, it wasn’t known where she was staying, but she was last known to be in Mat-Su Valley, police and troopers said.
Troopers said the Alaska Bureau of Investigation is “continuing its investigation into Ataja’s murder.”
Wasilla is in Mat-Su Valley, about a 45-mile drive northeast from Anchorage.
This story was originally published September 24, 2025 at 11:37 AM with the headline "18-year-old woman found dead 2 years after vanishing was killed, Alaska cops say."
