Episode 73: Death at the Mayor's House - Jennifer Kirk and Susanna "Sue Sue" Norton
“If a person is murdered in the village, you’ll be lucky if someone comes in three, four days to work the murder site and gather what needs to be gathered so you can figure out a case later . . . but if you shoot a moose out of season, you’re going to get two brownshirts there that day.” Patricia Alexander, Sitka, Alaska
In early March 2020, in a small town in Northern Alaska, the body of a young woman was discovered on the Mayor's property, and she wasn't the first. An investigation would expose a pattern of family violence, corruption, and injustice by a system that had sworn to protect them and countless other females. This is the case of Jennifer Kirk and Susanna "Sue Sue" Norton of Kotzebue, Alaska.
Content Warnings: Murder, Rape, Suicide, Domestic Violence, Intimate Partner Abuse
Key Themes: Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Alaska Natives, Cold Case, Police Corruption, Legal System
Resources:
If anyone out there listening has any information regarding these women’s deaths, please contact The Alaska State Troopers’ Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Investigation Unit at (907) 451-5100. If you wish to remain anonymous, you can submit tips through the AKTips smartphone app or online.
If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, you are not alone. Please reach out for help:
Call 1.800.799.SAFE (7233), text START to 88788, or chat online at thehotline.org available 24/7
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, you are not alone. Please reach out for help:
Contact rainn.org online or call/text 1800-656-HOPE available 24/7
If you or someone you know is suffering from substance abuse or issues of mental health, Please reach out for help.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health - 1800-662-HELP 24/7 or visit samhsa.gov
Research for Episode 73 includes:
Alaska State Troopers seek help in 2020 Kotzebue woman's death investigation | Crime News | youralaskalink.com
Indigenous echoes: Alaska’s stats on MMIP likely higher, according to study
Kotzebue women’s deaths at former mayor’s property did not get thorough investigations, report says
One-woman-died-on-an-alaska-mayors-property-then-another-no-one-has-ever-been-charged
Reporting From Alaska- An outrageous failure of justice in Alaska
Selective Justice: A Crisis of Missing and Murdered Alaska Native Women
Two Women Died on an Alaska Mayor’s Property. No One Has Ever Been Charged. — ProPublica