Trial set for Nov. 19 in Kotzebue girl’s death

A 41-year-old man charged with making false statements to the FBI in relation to the death of a 10-year-old Kotzebue girl is scheduled for a jury trial on Nov. 19 in Anchorage.

Peter Wilson entered a plea of not guilty on Sept. 21 to the charge related to the death of Ashley Johnson-Barr, who went missing on Sept. 6 and was found dead on the tundra on Sept. 14. She was last seen playing with friends at Rainbow Park, a playground in Kotzebue. Funeral services are to be held on Sept. 22 in Kotzebue.

According to U.S. Attorney Frank Russo additional charges could still be forthcoming from the grand jury. Russo also said his office is in regular contact with state authorities and that the state was also considering filing charges.

The grand jury indictment filed on Sept. 20 said that Wilson lied when he said he found Johnson-Barr’s cell phone on the ground, and that he also lied about not knowing the girl and using a four-wheeler on the day she disappeared.

Nobody else has been charged in connection with the death of the child, which authorities have said appears to be a homicide.

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