Wasilla man arrested, charged with murder in the death of a local teen

After months of investigation, the Alaska State Troopers (AST) have made an arrest in the death of 16-year-old Alena Toennis.

On April 30, troopers arrested 45-year-old Sean Mobley of Wasilla on charges of murder in the second degree and manslaughter. He is also charged with misconduct involving a controlled substance in the first degree.

A thorough investigation by the Alaska Bureau of Investigation found that in November, 2024, Mobley provided fentanyl to Toennis before abandoning her on a Wasilla trail while she experienced an overdose. She later died as a result of the fentanyl provided by Mobley, Alaska State Troopers said.

According to the online dispatch, Mobley has been remanded to Mat-Su Pretrial facility, and his case is being prosecuted by the Alaska Office of Special Prosecutions within the Alaska Department of Law. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 12 at 1 p.m. at the Palmer Courthouse.

On November 15, 2024, AST had been notified that a female, later identified as Toennis, was found deceased on a powerline trail near a storage facility in Wasilla. At the time, AST noted that evidence found at the scene suggested her death was suspicious. During the autopsy, it was determined that there were no traumatic injuries to Toennis present.

In 2024, Governor Mike Dunleavy signed legislation into law that will making it a second-degree murder offense for those who distribute or manufacture illegal drugs that lead to an overdose death.

“For anyone to consciously say, we don’t care — the profit motive is all that matters. We don’t care who the victims are. We don’t care how many people die. We don’t care how many kids are impacted. We don’t care about how many accidental poisonings there are — we’re gonna remind them that they better start caring, because if they don’t care, they’re going to be charged with second-degree murder,” Dunleavy said at the time.

Governor Dunleavy has advocated for stricter penalties for illicit fentanyl and in May, 2024, kicked of “One Pill Can Kill” campaign, alongside Senator Dan Sullivan, designed to increase awareness and combat the increase in fentanyl-related deaths across Alaska and the country.

According to the Alaska Department of Health, overdose deaths have been on the rise, hitting a record in 2023 with more than 340 deaths.