Selawik man leaves body in dump after shooting, troopers say

SELAWIK, Alaska (KTUU) - A Selawik shot another man, then left the body in a tote in the town’s dump, according to Alaska State Troopers.

Troopers wrote in a dispatch that 47-year-old Lance Brickley was arrested on second-degree murder charges after investigators found the body of 41-year-old Timothy Snyder in the tote in the dump. Brickley is also facing charges of tampering with physical evidence and third-degree misconduct involving a weapon.

Brickley only moved to the Northwest Alaska community of 809 people last August, along with his wife, Davis-Ramoth Memorial School Principal Jeannie Brickley. Northwest Arctic Borough School District Superintendent Terri Walker told Alaska’s News Source Friday that Jeannie Brickley is no longer the school principal, with assistant principal Jamie Cowart taking over as interim principal until the end of this school year.

Investigators say Lance Brickley shot Snyder at a residence on Wednesday. Troopers said they were first notified of the body shortly before midnight Wednesday night, and investigators with the Alaska Bureau of Investigation, Crime Scene Technicians and Alaska Crime Lab arrived in Selawik early Thursday morning.

Troopers said Brickley was jailed at the Kotzebue Jail and Snyder’s remains were taken in for an autopsy by the State Medical Examiner. The investigation is still active.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated with additional information.

Copyright 2023 KTUU. All rights reserved.