Family and friends demand answers in woman’s Bethel death

Naomi Larson is seen successful Nunapitchuk successful 2023. (Courtesy Katraena Roe)

A informing to readers: this communicative contains descriptions of decease that immoderate readers whitethorn find disturbing.

According to Bethel police, small is known astir what happened successful nan hours starring up to nan decease of 29-year-old Naomi Larson. She was recovered unsocial successful a section location connected Aug. 5, look down successful a hallway pinch a broad covering nan precocious half of her body.

The Bethel Police Department has said that location is nary contiguous denotation of foul play, but friends and family members judge that there’s much to nan story. Larson’s family held a ceremonial successful mid-August successful her location colony of Nunapitchuk. Her mother, Sophia Larson, said that her daughter’s look had signs of beingness trauma.

“When her assemblage arrived, she looked visibly beaten because her look was swollen and her eyes were somewhat open,” Larson said. “She had, like, immoderate benignant of stabbing connected her forehead. There was physically a cut, for illustration an ‘X’ people aliases something.”

But according to an email from Bethel police, Larson’s assemblage showed “no motion of trauma of immoderate kind” erstwhile she was discovered astatine a location she was staying astatine successful Bethel’s Housing subdivision.

According to nan constabulary report, officers responded to nan location aft receiving a 911 telephone requesting a use check. Officers that arrived conscionable earlier 2 p.m. connected Aug. 5 recovered nan beforehand doorway locked, but were fto successful by a spot manager. The investigating serviceman instantly noticed humor pooling successful Larson’s legs, which according to the National Institutes of Health, appears opening betwixt a half hr to 2 hours aft death.

The constabulary study says thing astir an estimated clip of death, but section unit said by email that rigor mortis was not present, and that each indications showed that Larson had been deceased for a “short magnitude of time.”

The constabulary study says that a man arrived astatine nan location while officers were still connected scene. The man told officers he had known Larson for astir a month, and had been pinch her nan erstwhile night.

According to nan report, he told officers he called a cab to spell to his occupation astatine astir 9 a.m. that morning, and that Larson locked nan doorway down him erstwhile he left. The study does not opportunity astatine what clip nan man returned to nan residence, aliases whether he was questioned by constabulary astir nan circumstances of Larson’s death, including nan broad recovered complete nan precocious half of her body.

According to nan report, nan female who initially called 911 told officers that she had made 3 abstracted visits to nan location connected Aug. 5, believing her mislaid compartment telephone mightiness beryllium inside. She told officers she called 911 aft Larson did not respond to her attempts to aftermath her up. She said that she had past seen Larson 3 to 4 days earlier, and that she knew of 3 group who had been astatine nan location respective days earlier Larson’s death.

Larson’s adjacent friend Trisha White, who said that she was successful an on-and-off narration pinch Larson astatine nan clip of her death, said that she believes location were much group coming and going from nan house.

“The past clip I talked pinch Naomi was a fewer days earlier they recovered her. (…) This is what she said: ‘Babe, you should travel get me. I’m scared,’” White said. “And there’s tons of drunk group successful nan inheritance and I tin mostly perceive men. (…) Before I moreover asked her what nan reside was, personification grabbed nan telephone and hung up.”

White said that she believes that telephone came from nan residence wherever Larson’s assemblage was found. White besides attended Larson’s ceremonial successful Nunapitchuk and echoed Larson’s mother’s concerns astir her beingness condition.

“Those bruises, and nan trim connected her forehead, and her eyes being red, and her cervix being swollen, she didn’t look for illustration that nan days earlier she, earlier they recovered her,” White said.

The constabulary study does not opportunity whether officers questioned immoderate of nan neighbors astatine nan clip astir what they whitethorn person seen anterior to nan find of Larson’s body. White herself said that arsenic of Thursday, constabulary had not reached retired to her for much information, contempt aggregate attempts to stock what she knows.

According to nan constabulary report, some nan female who called 911 and nan man interviewed astatine nan segment agreed to travel to nan constabulary position to beryllium interviewed much thoroughly. But only a connection from nan female is included successful nan constabulary report.

The Bethel Police Department declined to remark connected whether nan man’s connection is absent from nan study because he invoked his correct to stay silent.

Prior to interviewing nan man and female astatine nan constabulary station, Bethel constabulary officers searched nan residence wherever Larson’s assemblage was recovered and seized respective items arsenic evidence, including a “small bluish pill appearing to beryllium made from home.” The study says that nan pill was sent to a crime laboratory for analysis.

Autopsy results from nan authorities aesculapian examiner are expected to beryllium released successful nan coming weeks. Sophia, Larson’s mother, said that it has been achy to wonderment what happened to her daughter, and to spot truthful overmuch speculation connected societal media.

“I consciousness for illustration we request closure for this to thief america move on,” Sophia said.

On Sept. 19, constabulary wrote successful an email that nan section will find whether nan investigation is complete depending connected nan findings of nan autopsy.