Emmonak man charged with murder in fatal stabbing of Anita Hootch

A woman is dead and a village man faces a murder charge after Alaska State Troopers say he stabbed her at an abandoned steam house in Emmonak, then used the knife to injure himself.

Anita Hootch, 37, of Emmonak, was found stabbed to death on Friday, Aug. 14. Her next of kin have been notified. Troopers were notified of a disturbance in Emmonak at 8:40 p.m. that evening, according to a Department of Public Safety dispatch posted Wednesday. Responding troopers found Hootch deceased inside the structure. They also found Christopher Horn, 38, of Emmonak, with knife wounds. Horn was medevaced to an Anchorage area hospital for treatment of injuries troopers described as non-life-threatening.

A preliminary investigation by Emmonak-based troopers and the Alaska Bureau of Investigation determined that Horn fatally stabbed Hootch before using the knife to injure himself, the dispatch said. Her body was sent to the State Medical Examiner's Office for autopsy. Horn was released from the hospital on Tuesday and arrested. He was remanded to Anchorage Correctional Complex on charges of Murder in the First Degree and Assault in the Third Degree. The charges are accusations, and Horn is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

The account comes entirely from the trooper dispatch; no response from Horn or an attorney appears in the record.