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

According to KTUU, Ataja Banks, 18, disappeared from the Matanuska-Susitna Valley in November 2023. It wasn’t until years later, on September 4, that state troopers discovered human remains in Wasilla, which were later confirmed by the State Medical Examiner’s Office to be 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 informed KTUU that they found Banks’ body following certain investigative leads. Anchorage police initially handled the case, but the troopers took over after evidence suggested that Banks was last seen alive in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley, as reported by KYUR.

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

[Feature Photo: Anchorage police]