Woman accused of disposing body at Anchorage trailhead appears in court

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - An Anchorage woman appeared before a judge Thursday afternoon facing felony charges for allegedly helping get rid of a woman’s body at a city trailhead following a fatal overdose late last year.

Melody Peggy Ramos-Snedden, 44, made her first pre-indictment appearance in custody at the Nesbett Courthouse. She is charged with one count of tampering with physical evidence — a felony — and one count of misdemeanor misconduct involving a corpse in connection with the December 2025 death of 28-year-old Kaitlyn Kaganak.

According to charging documents, Kaganak died from a suspected fentanyl overdose in the early morning hours of Dec. 2, 2025, at an apartment on Glacier Street. Witnesses told investigators the apartment’s resident, Tyrone Christopher McCrae, regularly distributed illicit narcotics to women in exchange for sex and had provided the drugs that Kaganak consumed before she collapsed.

Police allege that after attempts to resuscitate Kaganak failed, Ramos-Snedden — McCrae’s longtime girlfriend — helped in concealing the death.

According to court records, Ramos-Snedden backed a Cadillac Escalade up to the residence so McCrae could load Kaganak’s body, which had been wrapped in a blanket, into the back hatch.

The pair then drove approximately five miles to the Basher Trailhead in East Anchorage, where McCrae rolled Kaganak’s body down a 15- to 20-foot embankment before Ramos-Snedden drove the vehicle away, according to police statements.

Kaganak’s remains were discovered by a municipal park ranger on Dec. 19, nearly three weeks after her family reported her missing. An autopsy revealed no signs of trauma or sexual assault.

Days after the incident, McCrae, Ramos-Snedden, and McCrae’s teenage son flew out of Alaska to Nevada, abandoning the SUV at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport with the keys left sitting on the dashboard, according to investigators.

While under active investigation in the case, McCrae died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound on Sept. 2. Following his death, Anchorage police detectives re-interviewed Ramos-Snedden, who admitted knowing a body was inside the blanket and conceded her role in driving the vehicle from the trailhead after the body was dumped.

Ramos-Snedden was arraigned Sept. 25 following her arrest and remains in custody. Her next hearing is scheduled for Oct. 15.

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