Episode 56: MURDERED: Carlos Medina - Kodiak, AK

Kodiak, Alaska: A place where the American Dream turned into a nightmare. When beloved restaurateur and community leader Carlos Medina was found murdered on Pillar Mountain, it shocked the city’s growing immigrant community and left investigators with more questions than answers. 30 years later, the case remains unsolved. Dive into the mystery that refuses to rest and uncover why justice has yet to be served.

Episode Summary

In the spring of 1993, Carlos Medina was thriving in Kodiak, Alaska. An immigrant from the Philippines who arrived with little, he worked his way from the cannery floor to owning a popular restaurant and becoming a respected leader in the city’s large Filipino community. He was a husband, father of three, and poised to run for city council. Then, Carlos vanished.

His bloodstained truck was found near Pillar Mountain, and searchers soon discovered his body, a brutal killing that remains the only unsolved homicide in Kodiak Police Department history. In this episode, we explore who Carlos was, what happened in the days leading up to his disappearance, why investigators have never solved the case, and how his death rocked a community where Filipinos made up a rapidly growing share of the population. We discuss the theories ranging from robbery to family involvement and the persistent efforts of his brother, Jerry, to find justice more than three decades later.

If you have information about the murder of Carlos Medina, please contact the Kodiak Police Department or Alaska State Troopers at (907) 269‑5511. Even the smallest detail could help bring answers and closure.

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