19-year-old Anchorage woman found dead, teen arrested for her murder

Officers discovered the body of a 19-year-old woman missing from Anchorage along the river bank near Thunderbird Falls trail Tuesday, and a 16-year-old boy is charged with her murder.

Cynthia Hoffman was reported missing Monday by a family member. The family member reported she was last seen by a friend at Polar Bear Park, possibly on Sunday. Investigators found that the family member was given false information about Hoffman's whereabouts.

An investigation revealed Hoffman went to Thunderbird Falls Sunday with an adult female friend and 16-year-old Kayden McIntosh.

According to police, the three walked down to the river bank where McIntosh and the woman bound the victim with duct tape. At some point, an altercation took place.

The police investigation further revealed that McIntosh allegedly shot the victim in the back of the head, pushed her into the river and fled with the woman before driving to Polar Bear Park with the victim’s belongings.

Police say the two sent texts to Hoffman’s family members from her phone stating the victim was dropped off at the park. Family members took that information and used it to file a missing person’s report the next day. The boy and woman then drove to Lion's Park in Mountain View and burned the victim’s belongings, police say.

On Monday, officers contacted a family member of the woman, who said that the victim may have been shot and pushed into the water, but didn't have any additional details. The family member said she heard this information from the woman that had been with Hoffman and McIntosh. Meanwhile, other officers continued to investigate the Polar Bear Park circumstances with the victim’s family, believing what they were told was true.

Tuesday, detectives found and questioned the woman and McIntosh. Throughout the questioning, detectives learned the story about Polar Bear Park was made up and officers were sent to Thunderbird Falls trail where they located Hoffman's body along the river bank.

Kayden McIntosh faces multiple charges including Murder 1 and Evidence Tampering. He was arrested and transported to jail. The adult female was released after questioning. McIntosh was arraigned Wednesday afternoon.

The investigation continues and more charges are possible, police say.