Alaska Department Of Public Safety,State Troopers Public Information Office

Dispatch Text:

UPDATE 3/6: On March 5, 2026, a Palmer Grand Jury indicted 22-year-old Wasilla resident Ian Millard for murdering Ataja Banks in 2023 after a thorough investigation led by the Alaska Bureau of Investigation. On March 6, 2026, the Alaska State Trooper SWAT team arrested Millard as he was driving on Knik Goose Bay Road. He was remanded to Mat-Su Pretrial on his active arrest warrant for charges of Murder in the Second Degree, Manslaughter, and Tampering with Physical Evidence.

ORIGINAL 9/23/25: In November 2023, the Anchorage Police Department began investigating the disappearance of 18-year-old Anchorage resident Ataja Banks from the Anchorage area. The Alaska State Troopers assumed case responsibility after it was determined that she was last known to be alive in the Mat-Su Valley. On September 4, 2025, Troopers located human remains in the area of Moose Meadows Road in Wasilla that have been positively identified as Banks. Information learned during the investigation leads Troopers to believe that Banks was murdered. The Alaska Bureau of Investigation is continuing its investigation into Ataja's murder. Her next of kin have been notified, and her body was sent to the State Medical Examiner's Office, which has completed an autopsy.