Officials have released few additional details about the death of Soldotna resident Yvonne Anderson, whose body was found in the woods on Saturday.
Anderson, 45, was reported missing on Christmas Day after she walked away from a vehicle into the woods near mile 4 of the Kenai Spur Highway on Christmas Eve.
Troopers wrote in an online dispatch that she had an argument with a family member before leaving the vehicle.
The cause of death is still unknown, but troopers do not think it was suspicious, said Alaska State Troopers Public Information Officer Megan Peters.
“This was a case of delayed reporting,” Peters said, adding that the person who reported Anderson missing on Christmas Day was under the impression they had to wait a certain amount of time to do so.
“In Alaska that’s not true. We tell people if they’re concerned about it, report it.”
Troopers began looking for Anderson the same day she was reported missing and found her body at about 3:55 a.m. on Dec. 26.
“It was really quick,” Peters said. “They responded out there after it was reported to us and they looked around and they found her.”
The death was reported in an online trooper dispatch three days later on Dec. 29.
“The investigators waited until after the autopsy to release the posted information to see if the death was suspicious,” Peters wrote in an email. “If something is suspicious, it may factor into what information to release.”
Peters said members of the Alaska Bureau of Investigations have declined to comment any further on the case since the investigation is ongoing pending the final results of a toxicology test, which will determine the cause of death. These tests can take up to several weeks to be completed, Peters said.
Reach Megan Pacer at megan.pacer@peninsulaclarion.com.
