Grief-stricken friends remember Meadow Lakes murder victims

WASILLA — Friends on Tuesday mourned the deaths of Renee Millard, 40, and her son, Dean, 10, as the community struggled with the gravity of the chilling crime that occurred at the family’s home in Meadow Lakes the day before.

Natalie Cadieux, who met Renee Millard six years ago over a common love of the outdoors and exercise said she couldn’t comment on the circumstances of the murders. However, she remembered Millard as a fun, active, vibrant woman and a caring mother.

“She was my jailbreak buddy,” Cadieux said. “She’d come break me out at lunch.”

Cadieux said Millard’s sudden absence won’t go unnoticed out on the running trails and roads around the Mat-Su.

“Whether it’s hiking, whether it’s running, she leaves a big hole in a lot of places,” she said.

Alaska State Troopers were called to the home owned by Renee Millard and her husband, Alvin Millard, on Monday morning after a juvenile male called 911. Troopers arrived to find Renee and Dean Millard dead of gunshot wounds. On Tuesday, troopers said a juvenile had been taken into custody in connection with the killings, but would not release any other information about the case, which is being handled by the juvenile justice system.

At least one of the Millards’ friends said troopers contacted them about the case, but had also asked them not to publicly repeat details of the investigation to the media.

Friends said the magnitude of the news of the two deaths Monday morning in a quiet, wooded area of Meadow Lakes was still too fresh for anyone to fully process.

“It’s still so new, and I think we’re just trying to get through,” Cadieux said.

Cadieux remembered her friend as someone who “brought out the strength in people” who packed a lifetime of memories into her 40 years of life.

“It was just tons of little moments, but every picture has a story,” she said. “Every mountain peak around the Valley has a story, every trail run. I can’t even name one specific thing, just her presence was awesome. She was a very strong woman.”

Amber Hays met Renee Millard through their children, who attended Tanaina Elementary together. Mat-Su Borough School District spokeswoman Catherine Esary confirmed Dean Millard was a student at Tanaina.

A former classmate, Dakota Koch, 10, remembered Dean as a popular boy.

“Dean really liked raisins a lot,” Dakota said, through his father, Vinnie. “All the kids would give Dean the boxes of raisins they had in their lunch. At the end of the day, Dean would go home with 30 boxes of raisins.”

Dakota said Dean was a happy child who liked playing tag and climbing on the monkey bars. He responded to bullies with kindness, Dakota said.

“It never bothered him,” Dakota said through his father. “He would kind of smile and walk away.”

Renee Millard was an accomplished athlete who finished the half-sized version of the IronMan Triathlon in Hawaii in 5 hours, 50 minutes and 46 seconds to place 367th out of 2,084 finishers in the grueling race. The Ironman 70.3 involves running 13.1 miles, biking 56 miles, and swimming 1.2 miles. She was also a four-time Mount Marathon finisher, finishing a personal best 1:17:32 in 2015. Millard was also one of the organizers of the Why Not Tri event in Wasilla.

Hays remembered Millard as a determined training partner who would never let her quit on tough training runs up local hiking trails.

“She drug me up Lazy Mountain every weekend,” Hays said, referencing the 3,600-foot peak near Palmer known for its merciless pitch.

Hays said that kind of belief in other people was a hallmark of Millard’s character.

“She just believed in her friends. She believed in me. If anybody could get me out the door, it was her. I could never say no to her.”

Like Cadieux, Hays said Millard’s defining characteristic was her passion for living life to its fullest.

“The only thing people should know is: she was so full of life,” she said. “I know people say that about people that pass away, but she really was.”

Contact reporter Brian O’Connor at 352-2270, brian.oconnor@frontiersman.com, or on Twitter @reporterbriano

Correction: Due to an editing error, an earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that Renee Millard had participated in the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii in 2015.