Willow man arrested, charged with murder

WILLOW — A day after a Willow woman was found dead along Petersville Road, a Willow man is in custody and has been charged with murder.

According to Alaska State Troopers, Michael Kilgo, 50, of Willow, was arrested about noon on Wednesday after officials at the State Medical Examiner’s office determined that Hattie Labuff-Kilgo died due to blunt force with sharp force trauma. Labuff-Kilgo, 56, also of Willow, was found Tuesday afternoon about three miles from her unoccupied vehicle.

Authorities initially labeled the death suspicious. Kilgo’s arrest came following the information supplied by the SME and evidence collected during the investigation.

Kilgo has been charged with Murder 1 and evidence tampering. He was taken to Mat-Su Pretrial where he is being held without bail.

Labuff-Kilgo had gone missing on Monday. A welfare check had been requested after she didn’t show up to work for a 9:15 a.m. shift, troopers say. According to a dispatch report updated Tuesday afternoon, AST initially responded to Labuff-Kilgo’s home and later learned that the Willow 56-year-old had gone to the Petersville Road area.

Labuff-Kilgo’s body was found Tuesday at about 12:30 p.m.

This is a developing story. Continue to see frontiersman.com for more.