Hispanic/Latina Desiree Leandra Gonzalez, a 27-year-old woman from Anchorage, was found dead on May 13, 2015, alongside her two young children and her boyfriend in a home on the 500 block of East 74th Avenue. According to police, a call came in around 12:20 p.m. after a man—later identified by police as the victim's father—entered through a window when no one answered the door and discovered the family, all dead from gunshot wounds.
Police described the scene as an isolated, domestic incident, with no indication of an outside intruder.
Within days, the Anchorage Police Department reported that evidence supported a murder-suicide: 24-year-old Curtis Young III had shot and killed his 27-year-old girlfriend, Desiree Leandra Gonzalez, their 4-year-old son, and their 17-month-old daughter, then turned the gun on himself. Detectives processed the scene, interviewed family and friends, and announced they were not looking for any other suspect. The state medical examiner conducted autopsies to determine cause and manner of death, and police said the investigation would remain open pending lab results, but the working theory remained murder-suicide contained within the home.
Authorities publicly identified the victims at a news conference and reiterated that the deaths were connected to domestic violence within the household. Local reporting named the adults and children and placed the tragedy in South Anchorage, where the family lived. Community memorial notices and obituaries later honored the 27-year-old woman and her children.
There were no arrests. Police stated there was no outstanding suspect to pursue because the person believed responsible, 24-year-old Curtis Young III, died at the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
