"Under any circumstances it would have been a memorable picture. It caught in an instant a bright young lady with a wonderful smile participating in the ancient customs of her people. It caught a fleeting moment in time when everything seemed possible and the future held no limits. In a tragic instant, it became a portrait of what might have been.

I'm probably not the only person who saw that picture of Kake teenager Mackenzie Howard, surrounded by flowers in a boat just hours before her death, and felt profound sadness. I'm probably not the only person who looked at it and hoped against hope that neither alcohol nor sexual assault would be part of what killed her, even though it was almost inevitable that one, if not both, would be. I know I'm not the only person who looked at that picture and prayed to whatever god there is that she did not suffer.

Bush Alaska has a horrible statistical record when it comes to crimes like domestic violence and sexual assault. Alcohol and drug addictions numbers are off the charts too, even when compared to urban areas of this state. The Bush certainly doesn't have a lock on those crimes. But Bush villages are so small, isolated and vulnerable that the statistics take on a larger than life feel."

Get the Story:
Elise Patkotak: Kake will survive, but will always feel the loss (The Anchorage Daily News 2/13)

Also Today:
Fundraiser for the Howard family slated for Friday (The Juneau Empire 2/13)

Related Stories:
Investigation continues into death of 13-year-old Native girl (2/12)
Death of 13-year-old Alaska Native girl treated as a homicide (2/8)