MURDERED: Sonya Ivanoff — Betrayal In Blue

In the summer of 2003, 19-year-old Sonya Ivanoff vanished from Nome, Alaska. When her body was discovered days later, the truth that surfaced would devastate the small town and force a reckoning with its own police force.

As investigators closed in, they uncovered a betrayal that went far deeper than anyone imagined — one that exposed years of neglect and mistrust between Nome’s authorities and Alaska Native women, a crisis that still haunts Alaska today.

TW: This episode contains references to violence, sexual assault, and systemic abuse against Alaska Native women. It also includes discussion of police misconduct, murder, and the mishandling of criminal investigations. Listener discretion is advised.

Alaska Native Women’s Resource Center

For more information about the Alaska Native Women’s Resource Center, please visit this link.

Episode Source Material

Official Documents & Legal Records

• Owens v. State. Accessed August 2025. https://casetext.com.

News Articles & Investigative Reporting

• Anchorage Daily News.

  • Brant, Tataboline. “From 2003: Nome Police Must Work to Regain Trust After Officer Charged with Murder.” Anchorage Daily News. Accessed August 2025.

  • Boots, Michelle Theriault. “43 People Have Been Killed by Alaska Law Enforcement Officers in the Last 5 1/2 Years. Here’s What We Learned by Examining Each Case.” Anchorage Daily News. Accessed August 2025.

• Associated Press.

  • “In Nome, Alaska, Review of Sexual Assault Cold Cases Hits a Wall.” CBC News (via Associated Press). Accessed August 2025.

• NBC News.

  • “Remembering Sonya Ivanoff.” NBC News. Accessed August 2025.

• The Crime Wire.

  • Traylor, Dean. “An Alaskan Mystery: The Missing 24 of Nome.” The Crime Wire. Accessed August 2025.

• Oxygen.

  • Sederstrom, Jill. “Investigation Into Alaskan Teen’s Murder Reveals Shocking Killer: ‘Evil Comes in Different Forms.’” Oxygen. Accessed August 2025.

Longform Journalism & Magazine Features

• Monroe, Rachel. “Is There Hope For The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women?” The New Yorker. Accessed August 2025.

Documentary & Television Coverage

• Dateline NBC.

• A Walk in the Rain. NBC News. Accessed August 2025.

Advocacy & Data Resources

• Association on American Indian Affairs.

  • “Violence Against Native Peoples.” Accessed August 2025.