On October 17, 2019, Anesha "Duffy" Murnane disappeared from Pioneer Avenue, the main thoroughfare of Homer, Alaska, in the middle of the day while walking to a medical appointment. The case remained unsolved until a tip led investigators to arrest a man in Ogden, Utah for the rape and murder of Murnane.Armstrong, Michael, Police arrest man in murder, kidnapping of Anesha “Duffy” Murnane. Homer News May 9, 2022
Disappearance Murnane resided at a small supportive housing facility in Homer. She left the building on foot at shortly after noon on October 17, 2019, headed for a local clinic, but she never arrived. She was not officially reported missing until the 19th. Search dogs were used to track her movements, they determined she apparently got into a vehicle on Pioneer Avenue. An air search was conducted, and volunteers conducted searches and went door-to-door over the next several months.Grove, Casey, Former Homer resident kidnapped and murdered woman missing since 2019, police say KTOO/Alaska Public Media, May 10, 2022
Investigation When initial efforts to locate Murnane were not successful, the Homer Police Department hired a special investigator for the sole purpose of continuing to try and determine what happened to her. The FBI also assisted in aspects of the investigation. Several persons of interest were interviewed over the course of the next two years, including the person eventually charged with abducting and murdering Murnane, but there was not sufficient cause to make an arrest.Mason, Mike and Horazdovsky, Kortnie Man charged with Homer woman’s murder worked with vulnerable adults KTUU May. 11, 2022Klecka, Joey and Rockey, Tim Utah man arrested, charged with murder in case of Homer woman missing since 2019 KTUU, May. 9, 2022 Dateline NBC profiled the case as part of their "Missing in America" series in February 2020.Cavallier, Andrea, Mother fears for daughter Anesha "Duffy" Murnane missing from Homer, Alaska home since October , Dateline NBC, Feb. 3, 2020
Perpetrator’s arrest and conviction
In April 2022, an anonymous call to a tip line identified a Utah man, Kirby Calderwood, who had formerly lived in Homer, as the person who abducted, raped, and murdered Murnane, and gave numerous details about the crime.Shenefelt, Mark, Alaska torture murder suspect arrested, held in Ogden Standard-Examiner, May 12, 2022 Calderwood knew Murnane due to being employed by a local behavioral health service and having worked at the building where Murnane lived.Fulton, Veronica,Arrest made in 2019 disappearance of Anesha "Duffy" Murnane in Homer, Alaska NBC News May 12, 2022 He was arrested in Utah in May 2022.Verge, Beth, ‘I’ve been holding out hope’: Family, friends of Anesha ‘Duffy’ Murnane react to arrest in 2019 case Alaska's News Source, May. 10, 2022 Subsequent interviews led to the discovery that the anonymous tip came from Calderwood’s wife, whom he had told about the murder in 2021. Upon executing search warrants, police recovered what appears to be Murnane's Timex watch, found near a missing person flyer.
In September 2022, a Kenai grand jury indicted Calderwood on multiple felony charges including murder, kidnapping, and sexual assault. He remained in Utah, where he was also facing charges,McKenny, Hope, Man indicted in murder of Anesha “Duffy” Murnane KBBI, September 22, 2022 before being extradited to Alaska and incarcerated at the Wildwood Correctional Complex in November 2022.Armstrong, Michael, Man accused in Homer death extradited to Alaska , Peninsula Clarion, November 16, 2022 In February 2026, Calderwood admitted to killing Murnane and pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder. He signed a plea agreement recommending he receive a sentence of 87 years in prison, and was sentenced to that term in July 2026. Fernandez, Georgina and Klecka, Joey Judge sentences man accused of killing Homer woman missing for years KTUU, Jul. 1, 2026
Friends, family, and investigators who worked on the case expressed frustration at the long period of time it took to arrest and convict Calderwood.Armstrong, Michael: ‘Justice for Duffy’ talk reveals new information on murder case Homer Independent Press May 7, 2026
See also List of kidnappings List of solved missing person cases (2010s)
References