In 2018 and then in 2020, two women were found dead on the same property in the Northwest Alaska community of Kotzebue.

The women were 25-year-old Jennifer Kirk and 30-year-old Susanna, or “Sue Sue,” Norton. They both had been in relationships with sons of Kotzebue’s now-former mayor, who owns the property where they were found. 

Kirk’s death was declared a suicide, and Norton’s, a homicide. No charges have ever been filed in connection to the deaths.

In this episode, host Elizabeth Harball speaks with Anchorage Daily News and ProPublica reporter Kyle Hopkins, who spent years looking into the details of the two cases for a recently published story. He explains how he found disturbing patterns leading up to the deaths, as well as unexplained holes in the investigations. 

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This episode of ADN Politics is sponsored by SteamDot Coffee.