Juvenile arrested in Meadow Lakes double murder

UPDATE (7:04 p.m. Tuesday): Troopers say a juvenile has been taken into custody in connection with the death of Renee Millard and Dean Millard, according to a press release. According to the release, the case is being referred to the Division of Juvenile Justice. Cases in the Division of Juvenile Justice are confidential, according to troopers.

UPDATE (11:44 a.m. Tuesday): Troopers have identified the victims in Monday's shooting as Renee Millard, 40, and Dean Millard, 10. They said the case is being investigated as a homicide.

Original story:

WASILLA — Authorities said Tuesday morning the public is not in danger after the deaths of two people at a Meadow Lakes home.

“The cause and circumstances surrounding the incident are still under investigation,” trooper spokeswoman Megan Peters wrote in a Tuesday morning email. “At this time, we do not believe the community is in danger.”

Troopers responded to the scene shortly after 8:20 a.m. to investigate a report of gunshots and found two people dead. On Tuesday, they were identified as Renee Millard, 40, and Dean Millard, 10, both of Wasilla. Peters did release one new detail about the deaths on North Autumn Drive, saying the 911 call to police was placed by another juvenile male inside the residence.

Renee and Dean are mother and son, Peters said Tuesday afternoon.

She said investigators are taking their time releasing new information to protect the integrity of the investigation.

The shooting caused a large contingent of police and emergency vehicles to converge on a single-family home in a wooded neighborhood off of Pittman Road. According to an online Mat-Su Borough property database, the home is owned by Renee and Alvin Millard.

After police arrived on the scene, an apparent manhunt began in the area, with a helicopter hovering overhead. Paramedics were briefly told to stay inside the nearby Station 72 as a safety precaution, and two elementary schools in the area — Meadow Lakes and Tanaina — were placed in “stay put” mode, according to Mat-Su Borough School District spokeswoman Catherine Esary.

“Stay-put mode means that instruction is occurring as normal with routine and free movement in the building,” she wrote.

Esary said a road closure on Autumn Lane by troopers caused one bus to be re-routed.

The Alaska Bureau of Investigations has taken over the investigation. Peters said she had no other information about the case Tuesday afternoon, including the relationships of the victims to each other and to the boy who called police and whether or not authorities had taken a suspect in custody.

She said troopers would release more information when it becomes available.

Reporting by Steven Merritt, Brian O'Connor and Matt Tunseth.