Police release names of victims in apparent double homicide

The victims were a mother and daughter

Police release names of victims in apparent double homicide

Kenai Police have released the names of two women killed in a shooting in a Kenai home.

The victims are mother and daughter Rachelle M. Armstrong, 60, and Lisa M. Rutzebeck, 39, both of Kenai, according to an update released Monday morning by the Kenai Police Department.

Police responded to reports of a shooting at a home on California Avenue early Sunday morning. California Avenue is located near Wildwood Correctional Complex and Cook Inlet View Drive in north Kenai.

The deceased have been transferred to the State Medical Examiner’s Office for autopsy and next of kin have been notified.

In an initial statement released Sunday, police said that the shooting happened in the early morning hours and that a suspect had reportedly fled the scene. The suspect was described as a heavy set black male wearing a gray hoodie and orange cap who should be considered armed and dangerous.

In an update provided later Sunday, police said there appeared to be “some association” between a potential suspect and victims. Kenai Police Chief David Ross declined to comment Monday on what that association may be.

The investigation is ongoing.

Police are looking for any witness with information, including surveillance video, to help determine what happened and to identify the suspect. Anyone with information about this incident should call the Kenai Police Department at 907-283-7879.

This is a developing story.

More in News

Alaska State Troopers logo.
Nikiski woman charged in 2023 overdose death

Lawana Barker was arrested after an investigation into the death of Nikiski resident Michael Rodgers

Alaska State Troopers logo.
Kasilof man arrested on charges of sexual abuse, harassment of minors

Troopers arrested him Dec. 10 after an investigation that began Nov. 19

Kelly King speaks to the Kenai Peninsula Association of Realtors on behalf of the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District’s Students in Transition at Kenai Catering on Thursday, Dec. 14, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Realtors donate duffel bags for 7th year

The bags are filled with holiday gifts for participants in the Students in Transition program

A map shows the areas, in purple and brown, where spruce beetle mitigation is planned. (Provided by U.S. Forest Service)
Spruce tree mitigation set for Seward district of Chugach National Forest

Mitigation efforts set for summer and winter through 2029

A table used by parties to a case sits empty in Courtroom 4 of the Kenai Courthouse in Kenai, Alaska, on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
June trial date set for troopers indicted for felony assault

Jason Woodruff and Joseph Miller Jr. are accused of assault for conduct in May arrest

Natural gas processing equipment is seen at Furie Operating Alaska’s central processing facility in Nikiski, Alaska, on Wednesday, July 10, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Study says pipeline would be better for economy than gas imports, cost $11 billion

The study was triggered by a request from the Legislature for an independent third-party review of a project proposal

Kelley Cizek speaks during a meeting of the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District’s Board of Education in Soldotna, Alaska, on Monday, Dec. 2, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Legislators talk funding, priorities at school board work session

The priorities are largely unchanged from previous years

Harley St. Clair, 5 weeks old, meets Santa Claus for the first time at Christmas in the Park at Soldotna Creek Park in Soldotna, Alaska, on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
‘A magical, feel-good night’

Christmas in the Park brings festivities, light to Soldotna

Most Read