October 25, 2022 (Anchorage, AK) – Retired Alaska State Trooper Lieutenant Lantz Dahlke is joining the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons investigative team at the Department of Public Safety. Investigator Dahlke will be based in Fairbanks with a primary function to work with MMIP Investigator Lonny Piscoya and to assist the Alaska Bureau of Investigation in solving murdered and missing persons cases involving Alaska’s Indigenous people.
“I want to thank Investigator Dahlke for stepping forward to help solve these tragic cases and bring the perpetrators to justice,” said
Governor Mike Dunleavy. “The Department of Public Safety’s MMIP investigative team is an important component of my administration’s commitment to keeping Alaskans safe.”
Investigator Lantz Dahlke, originally from Minnesota, arrived in Alaska with the United States Army in 1975. He joined the ranks of the Alaska State Troopers in 1986. He began as a patrol Trooper in the Alaskan Interior prior to becoming a long-time investigator of major crimes working out of the Fairbanks detachment. Before finally retiring after an illustrious career in 2015, he held many roles within the State Troopers, including rural supervisor, Special Emergency Reaction Team (SERT) member, detachment deputy commander, Alaska Wildlife Trooper detachment commander, and cold case investigator. Following a short stint as Chief of Police for Fort Wainwright, he returned to service for the Alaska State Troopers in 2019 as a special investigator with the District Attorney’s Office. He continues to live in the Fairbanks area and is committed to serving Alaskans.
“Having a dedicated investigator in the interior committed to helping solve the homicide cases and missing persons cases involving Alaska Natives will be a significant step forward in our commitment to solving MMIP cases,” said
Alaska Department of Public Safety Commissioner James Cockrell. “The expansion of the MMIP investigative team to include two dedicated investigators directly supports Governor Dunleavy’s People First Initiative.”
“Investigator Dahlke’s years of law enforcement experience in Alaska, and as an investigator with the Alaska State Troopers, combined with his fortitude to bring closure to the families in many of these cold cases and to bring justice to those that commit the crimes, make him an ideal person for this position.” said
Colonel Mo Hughes, Director of the Division of Alaska State Troopers.
In addition to investigating both active and cold cases, Investigator’s Piscoya and Dahlke will be working to improve communications between partnering organizations that are involved in the Alaska MMIP investigations and by providing fresh perspective into unsolved cases.
Investigator Lantz Dahlke began this new position with the Alaska Department of Public Safety on October 24, 2022.
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