A woman found dead in a park in Bethel on Sunday has been identified. Bethel Police Lieutenant Joe Corbett says she was from Bethel.
“Investigators were able to obtain the identification of the deceased as Eunice Whitman. She is 23 years old; she’s from Bethel here. She sustained multiple stab wounds we know of. We don’t, right now, have a complete cause of death without the medical examiners report and the autopsy, but that obviously looked like a contributor.”
Police say witnesses reported the body early Sunday and remains were found around 4 a.m. Investigators from the Alaska State Troopers Alaska Bureau of Investigation were dispatched to the scene from Anchorage and are working with the BPD Investigations Unit.
Whitman was found in the bushes near the Pinky’s Park Boardwalk between public housing and the park. Sunday night, Bethel Police identified a suspect, Whitman’s boyfriend Justine Paul.
“Investigators were able to identify a suspect in her boyfriend, Mr. Justine Paul, he’s also known as Justin Paul, her pronounces it Justin. He’s also 24 years old. He’s originally from Kipnuk, moved to Bethel.” Said Corbett.
Police say they searched Paul’s home and found evidence they believe links him to the murder. A search of Paul was also conducted for trace forensic evidence. Paul, whom police say is a convicted felon, was interviewed and arrested for Murder in the First Degree.
Paul was remanded to the Yukon Kuskokwim Correctional Center and faces arraignment Tuesday.
Daysha Eaton is a contributor with the Alaska Public Radio Network.
Daysha Eaton holds a B.A. from Evergreen State College, and a M.A. from the University of Southern California. Daysha got her start in radio at Seattle public radio stations, KPLU and KUOW. Before coming to KBBI, she was the News Director at KYUK in Bethel. She has also worked as the Southcentral Reporter for KSKA in Anchorage.
Daysha's work has appeared on NPR's "Morning Edition" and "All Things Considered", PRI's "The World" and "National Native News". She's happy to take assignments, and to get news tips, which are best sent via email.
Daysha became a journalist because she believes in the power of storytelling. Stories connect us and they help us make sense of our world. They shed light on injustice and they comfort us in troubled times. She got into public broadcasting because it seems to fulfill the intention of the 4th Estate and to most effectively apply the freedom of the press granted to us through the Constitution. She feels that public radio has a special way of moving people emotionally through sound, taking them to remote places, introducing them to people they would not otherwise meet and compelling them to think about issues they might ordinarily overlook.
