Three people died within a three-day period aboard a vessel anchored offshore at Sandy Beach in Douglas, across Gastineau Channel from Juneau, with drug use a possible contributing factor to their deaths, the Juneau Police Department reported June 3.
The Dusky Rock, a 35-foot commercial sailing vessel built in 1984, was anchored offshore in Douglas for about a week, said Juneau Harbormaster Matthew Creswell, although it frequently anchored near a downtown Juneau harbor at night, according to boat owners at both harbor locations.
The first death was reported at around 2:23 p.m. May 31 when 34-year-old Erika Lee Judson told police she found her friend, Curtis Edwin Anderson, 51, dead aboard the Dusky Rock.
“The initial investigation showed no signs of foul play,” the police statement issued on June 3 noted.
At about 6:20 p.m. on June 2, police received another report of death aboard the vessel, which was still anchored at the same Douglas location.
“The complainant reported hearing a dog howling on his friend’s boat, the Dusky Rock,” the police stated. “He went out to check on the dog and found a deceased female on board.” It was Judson.
Authorities later “confirmed there were two deceased females on board the Dusky Rock. Nobody else was located on the vessel,” the police stated. The other woman was 28-year-old Amoretta Nina Nichele Wesley.
According to the police, there were no initial signs of foul play regarding the death of the man found May 31. All three individuals are being sent to the Alaska Medical Examiner’s Office in Anchorage for autopsies.
“The use of controlled substances may have been a contributing factor in these deaths,” the police stated.
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