Alaska Department Of Public Safety,State Troopers Public Information Office

Dispatch Text:

On 01/03/2026, at 11:17am, Alaska State Troopers were notified of a death at the Point Retreat Lighthouse, approximately eight miles west of Juneau, on Admiralty Island. The decedent, 42-year-old Joseph Alaniz of Big Lake, Alaska, was the sole operator and groundskeeper with no one else present. Lighthouse staff discovered Joseph after arriving by helicopter to replace his shift. AST from Juneau responded and investigation determined the cause of death was a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The body has been sent to the State Medical Examiner's Office for Autopsy. Next of kin has been notified.