Alaska State Troopers say that they have been in contact with Pennsylvania investigators in the Miranda Barbour case and state that they do not believe that there are any homicide cases that are connected with the former North Pole resident in the state of Alaska.
Although the troopers say that they are not aware of any information or evidence that may implicate Barbour in any case in Alaska, they say that they will “follow up on any credible lead that is provided.”
North Pole Police also told reporters that the community has two unsolved cases there, but neither of those are connected to Barbour or a satanic cult in any way.
Barbour shocked the nation after she told the Sunbury Daily Item in a jailhouse interview that she had committed murders in California, Texas, North Carolina and Alaska, saying most of the serial slayings took place in Alaska. She told the reporter that she had killed so many people that she had lost count. In her interview, Barbour claimed to have carved a notch for every killing into the handle of her favorite knife, which she said she used in the claimed killings.
Barbour claims to have begun her killing spree as “Super Miranda” on “bad people” at the age of 13, after being compelled to finish off a person who owed money to the leader of a satanic cult that she says she had become a part of. She related to her interviewer how she was unable to pull the trigger that first time but was helped by the cult leader she declined to identify.
School records show that Barbour, then known as Miranda Dean, left the community of North Pole at a very young age, relocating in Southcentral Alaska, then ultimately leaving the state in 2011 and relocating in North Carolina.
The one murder Pennsylvania authorities are sure she committed with the help of her newlywed husband was that of 42-year-old Port Trevorton resident Troy LaFerrara. LaFerrara was killed after meeting up with Barbour after contacting her through Craigslist’s “companion” section of the website.
On November 11, 2013, Barbour and Ferrara met at the Susquehanna Valley mall parking lot in Hummels Wharf, where they settled on having sex for $100, then left and drove to Sunbury, six miles away, where the killing took place. Elytte Barbour was hidden under a blanket in the back seat waiting for his wife’s signal to come from hiding and strangle LaFerrara with a cable cord as she stabbed him to death. LaFerrara was stabbed over 20 times.
They stated when interviewed, that the “thrill kill” was committed to celebrate their three-week wedding anniversary. After the killing, the two went to a Walmart where they purchased items to clean up the evidence of their deed. Barbour said that even so, not all of the evidence could be cleaned up. After cleaning the vehicle, the two went off to a strip joint to celebrate Elytte’s birthday.
The next day, they went back to the grisly scene where they dumped the body to watch as investigators covered the dump site for clues. Ultimately, investigators would find their way to the couple using evidence on LaFerrara’s phone of contact with Barbour through her phone number and text messages sent to her just prior to leaving the parking lot.
Pennsylvania’s prosecutors are asking for the death penalty for LaFerrara’s murder.