AST reports that a dead body was discovered on the playground of the Big Lake Elementary School Tuesday morning by an employee of the school which resulted in the school going into “stay put” status for several hours as authorities conducted an investigation at the scene.

The identity of the victim initially was not divulged and the State Medical Examiner’s office took possession of the remains for autopsy. The identity has since been revealed by troopers as that of 16-year-old Devin White, and say that while there were no signs of trauma or injuries, evidence at the scene made the death suspicious. 

Troopers assured the public that there was never any danger to staff or students of the school.

The victim’s next of kin were notified of the incident.

The Alaska Bureau of Investigations took over case responsibility and are conducting a thorough investigation into the death.

AST reports that they found no connection between the victim and the school.

AST is seeking information on this incident from the public and say, “Please call (907) 352-5401. To remain anonymous, you can submit information through the AKTips smartphone app, by texting the keyword AKTIPS, followed by your tip to 847411, or online at https://dps.alaska.gov/ast/tips.”

  bog lake, death, elementary school, investigation, playground