Nearly two years after she vanished, Alaska State Troopers announced this week that the remains of 18-year-old Ataja Banks found in a wooded area outside Wasilla, Alaska. Investigators believe she was murdered.

Banks Disappeared Two Years Ago

Banks was last heard from in September 2023. A month later, her family reported her missing, and the Anchorage Police Department opened their initial case. At the time, authorities described her as five-foot-four, with black hair and brown eyes. The department released a photo of her taken that August, hoping someone might recognize her or provide a lead. No strong trail ever emerged.

She May Have Been Seen Alive Last Year

The case shifted last year when investigators determined Banks was last seen alive not in Anchorage, but in the Mat-Su Valley. Responsibility for the investigation passed from Anchorage Police to the Alaska State Troopers. Even then, there was little public progress. For her family, that meant a long silence, broken only by the faint hope that she might still be alive.

Not Missing, But Murdered

On September 4, Troopers discovered human remains near Moose Meadows Road in Wasilla. Forensic testing confirmed they belonged to Banks. The State Medical Examiner has since completed an autopsy, though the results have not been made public. What Troopers have said, however, is grim: based on evidence they’ve gathered, they believe Banks was murdered.

Police Are Playing This Close to the Vest

Authorities haven’t disclosed how they reached that conclusion, and they haven’t they named a suspect. The Alaska Bureau of Investigation is continuing its work, and officials have asked anyone with information about Banks or her final days to come forward.