The man found dead last week in Turnagain Pass has been identified as a Soldotna man, and a Homer woman wanted in connection with the suspected homicide has been charged with murder.
The man, 57-year-old Keith Huss of Soldotna, was identified by the State Medical Examiner’s office, Alaska State Troopers reported Friday.
Troopers said that Huss was found dead in a pull out near Mile 68.5 Seward Highway in Turnagain Pass just after midnight on Tuesday, Sept. 29. Huss had been shot and had trauma injuries, troopers wrote. In a dispatch report on Wednesday, troopers said they were treating his death as a suspected homicide.
According to the Alaska Road Traveler 511 Information, the pullout is the Turnagain Pass Snowmobile Parking Lot.
Troopers identified Homer resident Sarah Dayan, 35, as a suspect in the case. They reported in an update on Friday that Huss was Dayan’s third-party custodian in a court case. On Monday afternoon, Sept. 28, he picked up Dayan at Wildwood Pretrial Facility in Kenai, they said.
Following the discovery of Huss’ body, troopers put out an alert on Wednesday seeking information about Dayan’s whereabouts. She was to be considered “armed and dangerous,” they wrote in the dispatch report.
Troopers found Sarah Dayan, 35, at about 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, according to an online dispatch report. When contacted, Dayan reported injuries she sustained before troopers located her. She was taken to the Seward hospital.
After getting cleared at the Seward hospital, troopers arrested her on charges related to Huss’ killing. Troopers transported and remanded Dayan to Wildwood Pretrial Facility. According to online court records, she has been charged with first- and second-degree murder.
Troopers had gotten multiple reports that Dayan was in Seward and had been seen at several businesses, according to the latest dispatch report. Before law enforcement could respond, troopers wrote that Dayan stole a vehicle and drove it to the parking area at the base of Mount Marathon. Dayan then got into a van, also in the lot, and asked the sole driver of the vehicle for a ride.
Troopers, Seward Police Department, U.S. Park Service Police and U.S. Forest Service all arrived on scene. The driver of the van got safely out of the vehicle.
“The Alaska State Troopers would like to thank the public for its support and the numerous tips that lead to Dayan being located and taken into custody,” troopers wrote in Friday’s update. “AST would also like to thank our law enforcement partners for their assistance during the investigation.”
A search of court records shows Dayan currently has five criminal cases against her still open, including charges of theft and unauthorized use of an access device in August, and theft and trespassing in September.
Reach Michael Armstrong at marmstrong@homernews.com.
This story has been updated to include new information as it was published by the Alaska State Troopers.
