Alaska
Alaska Soldier Charged with Murder of National Guard Wife Who Disappeared
A soldier in Alaska has been charged with murder after the body of his missing wife — also a member of the Army — was discovered in a storm drain in Anchorage near an apartment the two shared, according to local media reports.
Zarrius Hildabrand, 21, was arrested Friday and charged with first- and second-degree murder, as well as tampering with evidence in the death of his wife, Saria Hildabrand, 21, according to law enforcement. He had reported her missing Aug. 7, and joined his wife’s family and search teams who were hoping to find her alive.
Dozens of volunteers, including about 40 National Guardsmen, joined the family in the search for Saria over several days last week, according to a service spokesperson. The two were married in December, and Saria was a medic in the Alaska Army National Guard.
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Zarrius Hildabrand was arraigned on the murder charges in Anchorage on Friday.
The two met in basic training, Saria Hildabrand’s mother, Meredith Barney, told local media Friday. Saria originally enlisted into the Utah National Guard as a field artillery firefinder radar operator in May 2021, but joined the Alaska National Guard in April.
Zarrius Hildabrand initially told police his wife left for work the morning she went missing. That evening, he called police and her family, who flew in from Utah to help in search efforts.
He also took to Facebook to post photos of his wife and plead for the public to share any details on her disappearance with the police, writing “Updated information on my missing wife PLEASE SHARE AND REPOST!!!!!!”
“He walked around for hours with me searching for my daughter, knowing that she was dead,” Barney said during an arraignment Friday, according to the Anchorage Daily News. “He lied to me multiple times, and tried to play it off like he was a concerned husband.”
Saria, who served in the Alaska Army National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 297th Infantry Regiment, as a medic, was supposed to go to work Aug. 6, but never showed up.
Zarrius reported her missing after he was supposed to pick her up from work that evening.
Neighbors reported hearing a gunshot around 2:45 a.m., according to the Anchorage Daily News. Authorities discovered Zarrius’ bed was missing a sheet and there was a new sheet on his kitchen table.
He went to the store the day his wife disappeared to buy hydrogen peroxide, a mattress cover, a large wheeled garbage can, and the new bedsheet, the newspaper reported.
Zarrius Hildabrand is an artilleryman assigned to the 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 11th Airborne Division, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. He enlisted into the Army in September 2021.
“Spc. [Saria] Hildabrand took an oath to selflessly serve and defend not only the state of Alaska, but the entire nation, a commitment worthy of admiration and respect,” Maj. Gen. Torrence Saxe, the adjutant general of the Alaska National Guard, said in a statement. “Her untimely passing impacts everyone on the Alaska National Guard team. She will be sorely missed.”
— Steve Beynon can be reached at Steve.Beynon@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @StevenBeynon.
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Alaska
Flight attendant sacked for twerking on the job: ‘What’s wrong with a little twerk before work’
They deemed the stunt not-safe-for-twerk.
An Alaska Airlines flight attendant who was sacked for twerking on camera has created a GoFundMe to support her while she seeks a new berth.
The crewmember, named Nelle Diala, had filmed the viral booty-shaking TikTok video on the plane while waiting two hours for the captain to arrive, A View From the Wing reported.
She captioned the clip, which also blew up on Instagram, “ghetto bih till i D-I-E, don’t let the uniform fool you.”
Diala was reportedly doing a victory dance to celebrate the end of her new hire probationary period.
Unfortunately, her jubilation was short-lived as Alaska Airlines nipped her employment in the bum just six months into her contract.
The fanny-wagging flight attendant feels that she didn’t do anything wrong.
Diala has since reposted the twerking clip with the new caption: “Can’t even be yourself anymore, without the world being so sensitive. What’s wrong with a little twerk before work, people act like they never did that before.”
The new footage was hashtagged #discriminationisreal.
The disgraced stewardess even set up a GoFundMe page to help support the so-called “wrongfully fired” flight attendant until she can land a new flight attendant gig.
“I never thought a single moment would cost me everything,” wrote the ex-crewmember. “Losing my job was devastating.”
She claimed that the gig had allowed her to meet new people and see the world, among other perks.
While air hostessing was ostensibly a “dream job,” Diala admitted that she used the income to help fund her “blossoming lingerie and dessert businesses,” which she runs under the Instagram handles @cakezncake (which doesn’t appear to have any content?) and @figure8.lingerie.
As of Wednesday morning, the crowdfunding campaign has raised just $182 of its $12,000 goal.
Diala was ripped online for twerking on the job as well as her subsequent GoFundMe efforts.
“You don’t respect the uniform, you don’t respect your job then,” declared one critic on the popular aviation-focused Instagram page The Crew Lounge. “Terms and Conditions apply.”
“‘Support for wrongly fired flight attendant??’” mocked another. “Her GoFund title says it all. She still thinks she was wrongly fired. Girl you weren’t wrongly fired. Go apply for a new job and probably stop twerking in your uniform.”
“The fact that you don’t respect your job is one thing but doing it while in uniform and at work speaks volumes,” scoffed a third. “You’re the brand ambassador and it’s not a good look.”
Alaska
As Alaska sees a spike in Flu cases — another virus is on the rise in the U.S.
FAIRBANKS, Alaska (KTUU) – Alaska has recently seen a rise in both influenza and respiratory syncytial virus, better known as RSV. Amidst the spike in both illnesses, norovirus has also been on the rise in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says it’s highly contagious and hand sanitizers don’t work well against it.
Current data for Alaska shows 449 influenza cases and 262 RSV cases for the week of Jan. 4. Influenza predominantly impacts the Kenai area, the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, and the Northwest regions of the state. RSV is also seeing significant activity in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta and Anchorage.
Both are respiratory viruses that are treatable, but norovirus — which behaves like the stomach flu according to the CDC — is seeing a surge at the national level. It “causes acute gastroenteritis, an inflammation of the stomach or intestines,” as stated on the CDC webpage.
This virus is spread through close contact with infected people and surfaces, particularly food.
“Basically any place that people aggregate in close quarters, they’re going to be especially at risk,” said Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN’s Chief Medical Correspondent.
Preventing infection is possible but does require diligence. Just using hand sanitizer “does not work well against norovirus,” according to the CDC. Instead, the CDC advises washing your hands with soap and hot water for at least 20 seconds. When preparing food or cleaning fabrics — the virus “can survive temperatures as high as 145°F,” as stated by the CDC.
According to Dr. Gupta, its proteins make it difficult to kill, leaving many cleaning methods ineffective. To ensure a given product can kill the virus, he advises checking the label to see if it claims it can kill norovirus. Gupta said you can also make your own “by mixing bleach with water, 3/4 of a cup of bleach per gallon of water.”
For fabrics, it’s best to clean with water temperatures set to hot or steam cleaning at 175°F for five minutes.
As for foods, it’s best to throw out any items that might have norovirus. As a protective measure, it’s best to cook oysters and shellfish to a temperature greater than 145°F.
Based on Alaska Department of Health data, reported COVID-19 cases are significantly lower than this time last year.
See a spelling or grammatical error? Report it to web@ktuu.com
Copyright 2025 KTVF. All rights reserved.
Alaska
Sky Watch Alaska: planets align plus the aurora forecast
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – This is a great time of year to do some star gazing. If you have clear skies in your part of Alaska, take the time to check out the night — and morning — sky.
After sunset, look toward the southwest. Saturn and Venus are snuggled up together (of course, they are more than 800 million miles apart) in the evening sky. They set at about 9:40 p.m. in Southcentral.
Before 9:40 p.m., you can see four planets with the naked eye — Saturn, Venus, Jupiter and Mars. Jupiter and Mars stick around through the morning. Mars is very close to the moon right now.
The Aurora forecast is fairly weak for the next few weeks. That’s not to say there won’t be the occasional burst but overall, solar activity is expected to be fairly low until the beginning of February.
If you get great pictures of the planets, the sky, or the aurora, don’t forget to send them to Alaska’s News Source.
See a spelling or grammar error? Report it to web@ktuu.com
Copyright 2025 KTUU. All rights reserved.
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