Remains discovered earlier this month in Alaska belong to a woman who vanished in 2023, officials announced

KTUU reported that Ataja Banks, 18, was last seen in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley in November 2023. Years later, on September 4, state troopers found human remains in Wasilla that the State Medical Examiner’s Office ultimately identified as Banks.

An autopsy was performed, but officials have not disclosed how Banks died. However, investigators suspect Banks was murdered, according to KTUU.

Banks was from Anchorage and last contacted her family in September 2023. She was reported missing in October 2023.

Alaska State Troopers told KTUU that investigative leads led them to Banks’ body. Troopers took over the case from Anchorage police after evidence indicated that Banks was last alive in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley, according to KYUR.

The Alaska Bureau of Investigation is currently investigating Banks’ death.

[Feature Photo: Anchorage police]