Alaska: Donna “Marie” Campos, Michael Atwood, & Alyssa Jimenez
In the blink of an eye, three lives were lost, three families suffered, and zero arrests were made. It happens all too often. These cases will make local news for a few weeks, and then, without any updates, the publicity tapers off until the victims' names are no longer talked about between strangers. Only the families and friends are left with the daily reminder of what is missing: their loved ones. That is why we are navigating advocacy in Alaska this week.
Photo: shutterstock.com
Wasilla is situated approximately 43 miles northeast of Anchorage. It is the fourth largest city in Alaska, with a whopping 9500 residents. Wasilla's economy is diverse, with a mix of retail, healthcare, government services, and small businesses. Agriculture also plays a role in the local economy, with some farms producing vegetables and other crops in the area. Wasilla is known for its connection to the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.
The headquarters is located here, and the race typically starts from nearby Willow Lake. This famous race covers over 1,000 miles across Alaska. Wasilla is a small coastal town that is ethnically diverse. The crime rate in this small town isn't that great, rated a 7 out of 10 on neighborhoodscout.com. The chance of becoming a victim of a violent crime is 1 in 150 and it pretty much has the same issues as other small towns its size.
Image: Neighborhoodscout.com
Today’s case is a little different. Instead of one victim, we have three. Donna Marie Campos, Michael Atwood, and Alyssa Jimenez. There wasn't a lot of information about who these people were before they were brutally murdered, but I am more than happy to tell you all about what I did find.
Photo: uncovered.com
Donna Marie Campos, also known as Marie Anderson, was 37 years old at the time of her death and grew up in Big Lake and Wasilla area. These towns are about a 17-minute drive from each other.In high school, she would volunteer at the local nursing home. She was a person with such a big heart. Life was not without challenges for Marie, that's for sure. She had some type of illness, and as much as I tried to find out what exactly, it just wasn't out there specifically, but this illness made Marie vulnerable and easily exploited. In an interview, her mother stated that her daughter would loan people money from her monthly disability check with no real plan to get paid back. It wasn't a concern for Marie; she just wanted to help, and sometimes, this would attract the wrong kind of people. When Marie was a young adult, she would meet the love of her life, Paul Anderson, and the two would have a child together. However, a year before Marie would be killed, Paul would die in a car accident. Leaving Marie heartbroken and struggling with grief. Her mother said this would cause Marie and her vulnerable mental state to turn to drugs to cope with the pain.
Photo: MatsuMuckraker.com
Michael Attwood was 25 years old and from the Big Lake. Originally from Scottsdale, Arizona, he had one sister and a daughter he left behind. Friends described him as a kind, gentle, laid-back kind of person.
Photo: frontiersman.com
Then we have Alyssa Jimenez. Honestly, I had the most challenging time finding information about her, So I don't have much. She was 28 years old at the time of her death. She was a tiny but fierce little thing at 5 feet, nothing, and just over 100 pounds. These three were friends and were hanging out that weekend of their murder. I wish I could give you more information about what the trio were up to that weekend, but police have kept much of the information under wraps. We do know that Marie and Michael were found on November 2, 2019, near Knik Knack Mud Shack Road.
Photo: Google Maps
I want to say that road sounds made up, but I swear it is not. Marie was found in the middle of a driveway to a house that was known to be frequented by squatters and persons who use drugs. This is a place that Marie and her partner Paul would frequent when he was alive. Michael was found in a vehicle, and both were shot to death. It was known that their friend Alyssa was with them that weekend, so when these two were found, police alerted the media that they were looking for Alyssa and she could be in danger. The last time Alyssa had been seen was around 12:30 to 1 a.m. Saturday near Twilight Drive. It wouldn't be until three days later that authorities would locate Alyssa. She was found not too far from the others but in the woods, so it took some time to locate her, considering this was November in Alaska. I could only imagine how thick the woods are up there.
Authorities immediately came out and stated they were treating these deaths as homicides. It wouldn't take them long to name a person of interest and ask the public for help locating this man.
Photo: mustreadalaska.com
His name is Juan Camarena. He was new to the area from California, where he was not exactly an upstanding citizen. He has convictions for dealing meth, gang-related activity, and gun violations. He was friends slash acquaintances with the victims. Juan would turn himself in to the police without incident to be questioned. Authorities would then search his trailer in connection with the triple homicide. They would find 12 9mm rounds located in the bathroom cubby, one .40 live round situated in a magazine on the shelf in the bedroom, one 9mm live round located in the living room, one .45 live round located in the bedroom closet, and one 9mm live round located in a cubby behind the toilet. For a convicted felon who is not allowed to have guns or ammunition, it seems a bit suspicious that he had so much, and it looks like some of them were hidden.
Photo: mustreadalaska.com
Juan would be arrested for possessing thes e items and also charges of human trafficking, assault, and sexual assault of his then-girlfriend, who we will call Kelly. Juan lived in the trailer with this woman. I am unsure how these charges came to be, but the girlfriend would later say they were all false. We will touch on that more in a bit. Another issue was that one of those bullets found in his trailer would be the same caliber as the casing found at the murders. Juan has never been charged with anything concerning the murders of Marie, Michale, and Alyssa, but the suspicion has never died out. Juan also visited Marie’s house a few days before she was murdered, but he was an acquaintance, so not necessarily out of the norm.
I found a change.org page from this Kelly lady trying to get Juan, out of prison. I am going to read her statement verbatim on this site. “On November 7th, 2019, Juan Camarena was wrongfully taken into custody for being wrongfully accused of being a possible suspect to multiple crimes. He is cleared of all charges now except for a few that involve me. She states her full name here which I am not willing to do, and I continue with her statement his fiance, as a victim - which I am not. I do NOT want to press charges as Juan did NOT do the things the state is falsely attempting to charge him with. He has NEVER done anything to intentionally cause me harm or even made me think or feel unsafe, not even for one second. He is not a danger or threat in any way, shape, or form. He has NOT done any of the crimes that they still insist on attempting to charge him for. I am asking for the signatures of people who have a general understanding of the situation and am also collecting written statements from individuals who personally know Juan or have had the pleasure of meeting or even just briefly speaking with him. explain what kind of experience it was. What kind of a person is he. How he was towards you and the situation. I love him and need him to come home. Please help me make this happen. Thank you for your time and support.” end quote
Here is what was put out about these charges against Juan. Apparently, he pointed a gun at Kelly, but she now claims it is because a rabid animal was behind her, and Juan pointed it above her head to protect her. Obviously, the police believed something different. Juan was also accused of sexually assaulting Kelly in the living room of the trailer they shared in September. This was before the murders occurred. Juan was also charged with forcing Kelly to have sex while others watched in exchange for drugs. He was also accused on hitting her in the head with a rock. Kelly was actually engaged to Michael, one of the victims, at one point; however, she states Juan had nothing to do with the murders and is a great guy who helps anyone around town.
I do want to point out something incorrect about Kelly’s statement on change.org. Juan pleaded guilty to the gun-related charges for having the ammunition in his trailer, so those charges, at the very least, weren't dropped. He was sentenced to a maximum of 10 years in prison. He has to pay up to $250,000 in fines and will undergo up to three years of supervision following his release. He is currently in prison for that sentence.
And that is where this case stands. Juan is still a person of interest and has been in jail since right after the murders occurred. Besides a few news updates on the status of Juan’s court hearings, there hasn't been much happening regarding the brutal murder of three people.
If you have any information, please contact Alaska state troopers at (907) 352-5401.
