Mt. Iliamna is an active cone-shaped volcano located one hundred and forty miles (225 km) southwest of Anchorage and seventy miles (113 km) northwest of Homer. It is part of the Chigmit Mountains and rises from its base near Cook Inlet to 10,016 feet (3052.9 m), one of the highest peaks in the volcanically active area of the Alaska Peninsula. Ten glaciers radiate from the volcano’s slopes.

Iliamna last erupted in 1867, and observers have occasionally seen smoke wafting from the summit since then. However, it is the weather surrounding the mountain, not the volcanic activity, that makes Iliamna dangerous. Clouds frequently cloak the mountain’s peak, and turbulent winds buffet this mountainous region, creating some of the most hazardous weather on the planet. Coastal fog and rain often create restricted visibility and a low ceiling. For aviators, flying in this area of the state can be challenging, dangerous, and sometimes deadly. Between 1958 and 1977, four mid-sized planes either crashed into Mt. Iliamna or were destroyed by the turbulence near the mountain, killing a total of seventy-nine people.

Abbott, Jeanne. “No survivors found at site of plane crash.” September 9, 1977. Anchorage Daily News.

“Clouds, rain hinder search.” February 14, 1977. Anchorage Daily News.

“Ground party will investigate wreck of C-54 at Iliamna.” December 27, 1958. Anchorage Daily News.

“Halt attempted to recover airmen on Mt. Iliamna.” December 29, 1958. Anchorage Daily News.

Liefer, Gregory P. Aviation Mysteries of the North. “Cleared as Filed.” 2011. Anchorage, AK. Publication Consultants.

Liefer, Gregory P. Broken Wings. “Turbulence Over Pedro Bay.” 2014. Anchorage, AK. Publication Consultants.

Liefer, Gregory P. Broken Wings. “An Accumulation of Errors.” 2014. Anchorage, AK. Publication Consultants.

“Mt. Iliamna crash hearing to open today.” November 9, 1977. Anchorage Daily News.

“Mt. Iliamna – Where 15 Alaska airmen died.” December 27, 1958. Anchorage Daily News.

“Pilots, AAI blamed for crash.” May 5, 1978. Anchorage Daily News.

“Plane wreckage is identified as missing C-54.” December 26, 1958. Anchorage Daily News.

Porterfield, Bob. “AAI crash probe opens.” November 10, 1977. Anchorage Daily News.

Porterfield, Bob. “Federal findings show AAI plane’s violation.” October 22, 1977. Anchorage Daily News.

Porterfield, Bob. “Iliamna crash – why?” October 1, 1977. Anchorage Daily News.

“Rescuers held off crash site.” September 8, 1977. Anchorage Daily News.

Weller, Robert. “Controller at fault in air crash?” February 15, 1977. Anchorage Daily News.

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Robin Barefield lives in the wilderness on Kodiak Island, where she and her husband own a remote lodge. She has a master’s degree in fish and wildlife biology and is a wildlife-viewing and fishing guide. Robin has published six novels: Big Game, Murder Over Kodiak, The Fisherman’s Daughter, Karluk Bones, Massacre at Bear Creek Lodge, and The Ultimate Hunt. She has also published two non-fiction books: Kodiak Island Wildlife and Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier. She draws on her love and appreciation of the Alaska wilderness as well as her scientific background when writing.

Robin invites you to join her at her website: https://robinbarefield.com, and while you are there, sign up for her free monthly newsletter about true crime in Alaska. Robin also narrates a podcast, Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier. You can find it at: https://murder-in-the-last-frontier.blubrry.net

Subscribe to Robin’s free, monthly Murder and Mystery Newsletter for more stories about true crime and mystery from Alaska.

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Would you like to support Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier? Become a patron and join The Last Frontier Club.

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I can’t imagine the agony of losing a child for any reason, but how does a mother cope when she learns someone murdered her daughter, and she knows terror and pain must have marked the last moments of her child’s life? The book Justice for Bonnie deals with this issue. The well-written book profiles a mother’s fight to learn the truth about what happened to her daughter.

To read more about Bonnie Craig and her mother’s fight for justice, I highly recommend Justice for Bonnie.

Holland, Magan. 5/2/2007. DNA links prison inmate to 1994 Bonnie Craig murder. Anchorage Daily News.

Mann, Camille. 5/18/2011. Kenneth Dion, ex-soldier on trial for 1994 murder of Alaska coed Bonnie Craig. CBS News.

Grove, Casey. 10/31/2011. Bonnie Craig’s killer sentenced to 124 years in prison. Anchorage Daily News.

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https://youtu.be/7Fv52Bf8yfY

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Robin Barefield lives in the wilderness on Kodiak Island, where she and her husband own a remote lodge. She has a master’s degree in fish and wildlife biology and is a wildlife-viewing and fishing guide. Robin has published six novels: Big Game, Murder Over Kodiak, The Fisherman’s Daughter, Karluk Bones, Massacre at Bear Creek Lodge, and The Ultimate Hunt. She has also published two non-fiction books: Kodiak Island Wildlife and Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier. She draws on her love and appreciation of the Alaska wilderness as well as her scientific background when writing.

Robin invites you to join her at her website: https://robinbarefield.com, and while you are there, sign up for her free monthly newsletter about true crime in Alaska. Robin also narrates a podcast, Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier. You can find it at: https://murder-in-the-last-frontier.blubrry.net

Subscribe to Robin’s free, monthly Murder and Mystery Newsletter for more stories about true crime and mystery from Alaska.

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Would you like to support Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier? Become a patron and join The Last Frontier Club.

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On the morning of October 7, 2010, Lisa Donlon dialed 911 and told the dispatcher she had just shot and killed her husband. When the police arrived at the twenty-foot by twenty-foot, one-room shed where Lisa lived with her husband, Jason, and their three young sons, they found Jason lying in bed on his stomach. Lisa had shot him once in the head and five times in the back. She claimed she’d killed him in self-defense while he slept. Her two youngest sons were present in the cabin when their mother murdered their father.

Lisa’s body showed signs of abuse, and she told a horrific story about the torture she’d endured at the hands of her husband, Jason. Still, people asked the age-old question. Instead of killing Jason, why didn’t she take her children and leave?

Bottaro, Angelica. “How to recognize and end the cycle of abuse.” June 8, 2022. Verywell health.

Demer, Lisa. “Domestic-violence victim charged in spouse’s death.” December 27, 2010. Anchorage Daily News.

McKee, K.T. “Grand jury won’t indict woman in Butte shooting.” November 2, 2010. Anchorage Daily News.

Palsha, Rebecca. “Lisa Donlon, acquitted in husband’s death, speaks out.” April 3, 2013. KTUU News.

“Prudential Life Insurance Company v. Donlon.” May 7, 2015. Casetext.

Wellner, Andrew. “Donlon details abuse for jury during murder trial.” March 14, 2013. Frontiersman.

Wellner, Andrew. “Jury deliberates Donlon’s fate.” March 28, 2013. Frontiersman.

Wellner, Andrew. “Testimony: friends knew of abuse.” March 16, 2013. Frontiersman.

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https://youtu.be/7Fv52Bf8yfY

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Robin Barefield lives in the wilderness on Kodiak Island, where she and her husband own a remote lodge. She has a master’s degree in fish and wildlife biology and is a wildlife-viewing and fishing guide. Robin has published six novels: Big Game, Murder Over Kodiak, The Fisherman’s Daughter, Karluk Bones, Massacre at Bear Creek Lodge, and The Ultimate Hunt. She has also published two non-fiction books: Kodiak Island Wildlife and Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier. She draws on her love and appreciation of the Alaska wilderness as well as her scientific background when writing.

Robin invites you to join her at her website: https://robinbarefield.com, and while you are there, sign up for her free monthly newsletter about true crime in Alaska. Robin also narrates a podcast, Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier. You can find it at: https://murder-in-the-last-frontier.blubrry.net

Subscribe to Robin’s free, monthly Murder and Mystery Newsletter for more stories about true crime and mystery from Alaska.

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Would you like to support Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier? Become a patron and join The Last Frontier Club.

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Most of us like to believe we can trust the police, but not everyone goes into law enforcement for the greater good. Some enter the police academy because they crave power over others and what better job than policing offers this power? I believe most police officers are good, and a few are bullies. John Patrick Addis, though, was the worst kind of police officer. He was a monster with a badge.

Puitt, Glenn.  Ghost: The True Story of One Man’s Descent into Madness and Murder

Zekan, Karen. 10/19/1998. Remains identified as those of LV woman. Las Vegas Sun.

Tataboline, Brant. 8/2/2003. Ex-trooper linked to second disappearance

Cervone, Chellie. 2/15/2013. Joann Albenese, Las Vegas woman’s death and disappearance. Las Vegas World News.

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https://youtu.be/7Fv52Bf8yfY

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Robin Barefield lives in the wilderness on Kodiak Island, where she and her husband own a remote lodge. She has a master’s degree in fish and wildlife biology and is a wildlife-viewing and fishing guide. Robin has published six novels: Big Game, Murder Over Kodiak, The Fisherman’s Daughter, Karluk Bones, Massacre at Bear Creek Lodge, and The Ultimate Hunt. She has also published two non-fiction books: Kodiak Island Wildlife and Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier. She draws on her love and appreciation of the Alaska wilderness as well as her scientific background when writing.

Robin invites you to join her at her website: https://robinbarefield.com, and while you are there, sign up for her free monthly newsletter about true crime in Alaska. Robin also narrates a podcast, Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier. You can find it at: https://murder-in-the-last-frontier.blubrry.net

Subscribe to Robin’s free, monthly Murder and Mystery Newsletter for more stories about true crime and mystery from Alaska.

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Would you like to support Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier? Become a patron and join The Last Frontier Club.

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Nineteen years after his son disappeared while climbing Mt. Denali in Alaska, Guy Waterman ascended a mountain ridge in New Hampshire in February 2000 and committed suicide by sitting in the snow in the bitter cold until he froze to death. The life stories of both Guy and Johnny Waterman exemplify the narrow line between passion and madness.

Brown, Chip. March 2003. The Last Cairn. Adventure.

Brown, Chip. June 2000. “Much About This World”: The Life and Death of Guy Waterman

Krakauer, John. 1996. Into the Wild. Anchor Books. New York, NY.

Pavek, Alyssa. March 2017. John Mallon Waterman. Prezi.

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https://youtu.be/7Fv52Bf8yfY

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Robin Barefield lives in the wilderness on Kodiak Island, where she and her husband own a remote lodge. She has a master’s degree in fish and wildlife biology and is a wildlife-viewing and fishing guide. Robin has published six novels: Big Game, Murder Over Kodiak, The Fisherman’s Daughter, Karluk Bones, Massacre at Bear Creek Lodge, and The Ultimate Hunt. She has also published two non-fiction books: Kodiak Island Wildlife and Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier. She draws on her love and appreciation of the Alaska wilderness as well as her scientific background when writing.

Robin invites you to join her at her website: https://robinbarefield.com, and while you are there, sign up for her free monthly newsletter about true crime in Alaska. Robin also narrates a podcast, Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier. You can find it at: https://murder-in-the-last-frontier.blubrry.net

Subscribe to Robin’s free, monthly Murder and Mystery Newsletter for more stories about true crime and mystery from Alaska.

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Would you like to support Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier? Become a patron and join The Last Frontier Club.

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With landmarks bearing the names of Deadmen Valley, Headless Creek, Funeral Range, and Hell’s Gate Rapids, you might think twice before planning a trip to Nahanni National Park in Canada. However, the legends behind these names make the park even more daunting.

Berge, Chloe. “The haunting history of this Canadian National Park.” March 9, 2020. Fodors.com.

Malbeuf, Jamie. “Families call for case of mysterious 2005 deaths to be reopened.” May 7, 2018. CBS News.

Peters, Hammerson. Legends of the Nahanni Valley. 2018. Western Canada. Hammerson Peters.

Vučkovič, Aleska. “Valley of Headless Men: Mysterious decapitations in Canada’s Nahanni Valley.” December 2021. Ancient Origins.

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https://youtu.be/7Fv52Bf8yfY

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Robin Barefield lives in the wilderness on Kodiak Island, where she and her husband own a remote lodge. She has a master’s degree in fish and wildlife biology and is a wildlife-viewing and fishing guide. Robin has published six novels: Big Game, Murder Over Kodiak, The Fisherman’s Daughter, Karluk Bones, Massacre at Bear Creek Lodge, and The Ultimate Hunt. She has also published two non-fiction books: Kodiak Island Wildlife and Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier. She draws on her love and appreciation of the Alaska wilderness as well as her scientific background when writing.

Robin invites you to join her at her website: https://robinbarefield.com, and while you are there, sign up for her free monthly newsletter about true crime in Alaska. Robin also narrates a podcast, Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier. You can find it at: https://murder-in-the-last-frontier.blubrry.net

Subscribe to Robin’s free, monthly Murder and Mystery Newsletter for more stories about true crime and mystery from Alaska.

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Would you like to support Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier? Become a patron and join The Last Frontier Club.

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When Bethany Correira disappeared, the residents of her hometown of Talkeetna, Alaska, immediately responded to search for one of their own.

Klinkhart, Gle nn. 2014. Finding Bethany. A True Crime Memoir. Securus Media.

James, Daid. 2014. ‘Finding Bethany’ details detective’s quest to solve horrific murder

Mystery at Bootlegger’s Cove. Dateline. NBC.

Johnson, Greg. 2-2008. Lawson draws 99 years. MatSu Valley Frontiersman.

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https://youtu.be/7Fv52Bf8yfY

Robin Barefield lives in the wilderness on Kodiak Island, where she and her husband own a remote lodge. She has a master’s degree in fish and wildlife biology and is a wildlife-viewing and fishing guide. Robin has published six novels: Big Game, Murder Over Kodiak, The Fisherman’s Daughter, Karluk Bones, Massacre at Bear Creek Lodge, and The Ultimate Hunt. She has also published two non-fiction books: Kodiak Island Wildlife and Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier. She draws on her love and appreciation of the Alaska wilderness as well as her scientific background when writing.

Robin invites you to join her at her website: https://robinbarefield.com, and while you are there, sign up for her free monthly newsletter about true crime in Alaska. Robin also narrates a podcast, Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier. You can find it at: https://murder-in-the-last-frontier.blubrry.net

Subscribe to Robin’s free, monthly Murder and Mystery Newsletter for more stories about true crime and mystery from Alaska.

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Would you like to support Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier? Become a patron and join The Last Frontier Club.

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Most people understand they face the risk of encountering wild animals when they enter the woods in Alaska, but they do not expect someone to shoot them. When a series of murders occurred in parks and on trails near Anchorage in the summer of 2016, residents demanded more information from the police. Were the murders related to each other? Was a serial killer stalking the city? Was it safe to go hiking after dark? And what were the police doing to solve these murders? Police remained tight-lipped, and tensions rose.

Hopkins, Kyle. Dec. 30, 2016. TIMELINE: The life of accused killer James Dale Ritchie. KTUU  News.

Hopkins, Kyle. April 26, 2017. Serial killer: Police say James Dale Ritchie committed 5 murders in 2016. KTUU News

James D. Ritchie. Murderpedia.

James Dale Ritchie: A Serial Killer Caught By Chance. The Lineup.

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https://youtu.be/7Fv52Bf8yfY

Robin Barefield lives in the wilderness on Kodiak Island, where she and her husband own a remote lodge. She has a master’s degree in fish and wildlife biology and is a wildlife-viewing and fishing guide. Robin has published six novels: Big Game, Murder Over Kodiak, The Fisherman’s Daughter, Karluk Bones, Massacre at Bear Creek Lodge, and The Ultimate Hunt. She has also published two non-fiction books: Kodiak Island Wildlife and Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier. She draws on her love and appreciation of the Alaska wilderness as well as her scientific background when writing.

Robin invites you to join her at her website: https://robinbarefield.com, and while you are there, sign up for her free monthly newsletter about true crime in Alaska. Robin also narrates a podcast, Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier. You can find it at: https://murder-in-the-last-frontier.blubrry.net

Subscribe to Robin’s free, monthly Murder and Mystery Newsletter for more stories about true crime and mystery from Alaska.

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Would you like to support Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier? Become a patron and join The Last Frontier Club.

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My primary source for this article was the Audible Original production of Midnight Son by James Dommek Jr. I highly recommend this three-hour audiobook. James Dommek Jr. does a fantastic job of telling this story from the viewpoint of a Native man from northwestern Alaska. It is a first-class production and a thought-provoking story.

Anderson, Ben. “Kiana man found guilty of attempted murder in remote Alaska.” November 26, 2014. Anchorage Daily News.

Demer, Lisa. “Troopers hunt for resident of Kiana – Teddy K. Smith should be considered armed and dangerous.” September 11, 2012. Anchorage Daily News.

Dommek, James Jr. Midnight Son. 2019. Audible Original.

D’Oro, Rachel. Alaska actor arrested, charged in shooting of 2 men near Kiana.” September 20, 2012. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

D’Oro, Rachel. “Inupiaq thriller ‘On the Ice’ arrives in theaters today.” February 17, 2012. Anchorage Daily News.

Grove, Casey. “Appeal challenges Alaska’s exclusion of village residents from juries.” May 24, 2018. Alaska Public Media.

Grove, Casey. “Troopers nab Kiana shooting suspect – Teddy Smith is arrested on river without incident.” September 21, 2012. Anchorage Daily News.

Hopkins, Kyle. “Movie actor from Kiana still missing after mother’s death – Gun-wielding man hasn’t been heard from since Friday.” September 13, 2012. Anchorage Daily News.

Hopkins, Kyle. “Village locked down after two hunters shot – The shooter is still on the loose after stealing the pair’s boat.” September 20, 2012. Anchorage Daily News.

“In the Court of Appeals in the State of Alaska: Teddy Kyle Smith v. State of Alaska.” April 2, 2021. JUSTIA US Law.

“The ‘Enukins’ – Little people of NW Alaska.” n.d. Bigfoot Encounters.

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https://youtu.be/7Fv52Bf8yfY

Robin Barefield lives in the wilderness on Kodiak Island, where she and her husband own a remote lodge. She has a master’s degree in fish and wildlife biology and is a wildlife-viewing and fishing guide. Robin has published six novels: Big Game, Murder Over Kodiak, The Fisherman’s Daughter, Karluk Bones, Massacre at Bear Creek Lodge, and The Ultimate Hunt. She has also published two non-fiction books: Kodiak Island Wildlife and Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier. She draws on her love and appreciation of the Alaska wilderness as well as her scientific background when writing.

Robin invites you to join her at her website: https://robinbarefield.com, and while you are there, sign up for her free monthly newsletter about true crime in Alaska. Robin also narrates a podcast, Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier. You can find it at: https://murder-in-the-last-frontier.blubrry.net

Subscribe to Robin’s free, monthly Murder and Mystery Newsletter for more stories about true crime and mystery from Alaska.

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Would you like to support Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier? Become a patron and join The Last Frontier Club.

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Brennan, Tom. 2015. Dead Man’s Dancer. Epicenter Press.

https://www.amazon.com/Dead-Mans-Dancer-Mechele-Linehan/dp/1935347160/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Dead+Man%27s+Dancer%2C+Tom+Brennan&qid=1591316098&s=books&sr=1-1

Mechele K. Linehan. Murderpedia.

https://murderpedia.org/female.L/l/linehan-mechele.htm

Former Olympia mom wins appeal in Alaska murder case.

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/former-olympia-mom-wins-appeal-in-alaska-murder-case/

Love and Death in Alaska. 48 Hours. CBS News.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/48-hours-presents-love-and-death-in-alaska-leppink-murder/

Holland, Megan. 5-15-2010. Freed from prison, Linehan sets up a new life. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

http://www.newsminer.com/news/alaska_news/freed-from-prison-linehan-sets-up-a-new-life/article_50e3b67c-53e4-50cf-9255-9f115c89adaa.html]

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Robin Barefield lives in the wilderness on Kodiak Island, where she and her husband own a remote lodge. She has a master’s degree in fish and wildlife biology and is a wildlife-viewing and fishing guide. Robin has published six novels: Big Game, Murder Over Kodiak, The Fisherman’s Daughter, Karluk Bones, Massacre at Bear Creek Lodge, and The Ultimate Hunt. She has also published two non-fiction books: Kodiak Island Wildlife and Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier. She draws on her love and appreciation of the Alaska wilderness as well as her scientific background when writing.

Robin invites you to join her at her website: https://robinbarefield.com, and while you are there, sign up for her free monthly newsletter about true crime in Alaska. Robin also narrates a podcast, Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier. You can find it at: https://murder-in-the-last-frontier.blubrry.net

Subscribe to Robin’s free, monthly Murder and Mystery Newsletter for more stories about true crime and mystery from Alaska.

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Would you like to support Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier? Become a patron and join The Last Frontier Club.

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