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Chatter MarksAuthor: Anchorage Museum
Chatter Marks is a podcast of the Anchorage Museum, dedicated to exploring Alaskas identity through the creative and critical thinking of ideaspast, present and future. Featuring interviews with artists, presenters, staff and others associated with the Anchorage Museum and its mission. Language: en Genres: Arts, Society & Culture Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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EP 145 Who Killed Bonnie with Karen Foster
Episode 145
Friday, 23 October, 2026
Karen Foster is the mother of Bonnie Craig, an 18-year-old University of Alaska Anchorage student who was sexually assaulted and murdered in September 1994. Bonnie’s body was discovered near McHugh Creek, south of Anchorage, and for more than twelve years her murder remained unsolved—it took almost 17 years before it made it to court. During that time, Karen became a relentless advocate for her daughter, conducting her own investigation, pushing law enforcement for answers, and launching a public awareness campaign that made Bonnie’s face and the words “Who Killed Bonnie?” a familiar sight around Anchorage. There were posters, bumper stickers, ads in newspapers and on the sides of buses enlisting the help of the Anchorage community and ensuring that Bonnie’s story would remain part of its collective memory. In 2006, DNA evidence finally identified Bonnie’s killer, giving investigators a suspect after more than twelve years without answers. But Karen’s work didn’t stop there. She went on to advocate for changes to Alaska’s DNA collection laws. After learning that Bonnie’s killer had been arrested multiple times before investigators connected him to her murder, Karen realized that if his DNA had been collected during one of those earlier arrests, her daughter’s case might have been solved years earlier. She took that realization to Alaska lawmakers and helped push through legislation in 2007 requiring DNA collection from people arrested for certain felony offenses. For Karen, it was an opportunity to turn her family's experience into something that might prevent other families from spending years waiting for answers. She details all of this in her book, “Justice for Bonnie,” a personal account of her daughter’s murder, the years she spent searching for answers, and the ways grief, determination, and the pursuit of justice reshaped her life and her family.
