‘Heartbroken:’ Family of dead Anchorage teen seek answers amidst their grief

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - On an overcast, rainy day, friends and family remember a lost son in Fairview.

Police found 17-year-old Aaron Jon Edwards Jr. dead in a car parked at the intersection of 13th Avenue and Karluk Street around 5:30 a.m. on Sunday.

On Tuesday, family and friends of Edwards Jr. returned to the site to place flowers, a picture and to remember him. A moment filled with emotion.

“Shock. Sorrow. Grief,” said Candace Edwards, Aaron Edwards Jr.’s stepmom. “But we’re a family, we’re gonna stick together and get through it the best way we can, just give all our faith to God.”

The circumstances surrounding Edwards Jr.’s death are currently being investigated, but police believe his death to be a homicide. The family hopes to find answers.

“Heartbreaking, heartbroken,” said father Aaron Edwards Sr. “But you know, I promise you this, justice will be served, I promise you.”

In addition to being a bright kid, Candace said “Junior,” as they called him, was a talented cook, boxer, and barber, in addition to a beloved family member.

“He was real good at cooking,” Candace said. “He could cook anything. Make something out of nothing with anything, whether it was his style or his food.”

Originally from Arizona, Junior and his father are both members of the San Carlos Apache tribe, and his family hopes to lay him to rest on the San Carlos reservation.

“We just started bringing more family up here because it’s nice up here,” said Junior’s cousin Jesse. “It’s good to live up here, and you know, just for this to happen, it’s crazy because now when we say it’s nice up here, everyone’s going to think twice.”

Currently, funds are being raised to cover the travel expenses for Junior’s funeral.

As details surrounding Junior’s death emerge, the family hopes to learn more about what Anchorage police termed a “suspicious death.”

“Junior was taken too soon,” Candace said. “But he’s in heaven building our mansion.”

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