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Unharmed Baby Found With 2 Dead Parents In Alaska

Pacifier

By RACHEL D'ORO   12/19/11 09:05 PM ET   AP

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- A man and woman were found dead with their unharmed baby in a remote western Alaska village when worried relatives went to check on them, family members said Monday.

State troopers were investigating the deaths of Jonathan Paul, 29, and Gina Martin, 26. The couple's 1-year-old daughter, Deann, is staying with Martin's family.

Troopers have not said how the couple died at their home in Kipnuk, a Yupik Eskimo community of 640 people. Even relatives said they haven't been told.

"Nobody knows what happened," said Gina Martin's sister, Patricia Martin. "Just pray for us."

Patricia Martin said she and her mother found the bodies when they went to the couple's home late Saturday night after not hearing from Gina Martin all day.

The door was locked, so Patricia Martin broke in with a butter knife, she said. She couldn't tell what caused the deaths.

"I just took the baby and left," she said.

Her mother, Dolly Martin, called a tribal police officer, who notified troopers.

Kipnuk is located near the coast of the Bering Sea, about 475 miles west of Anchorage.

Many in the community rely on a subsistence lifestyle, and trapping brings income as well. Most jobs, such as commercial fishing and construction, are seasonal, according to a state community database.

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ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- A man and woman were found dead with their unharmed baby in a remote western Alaska village when worried relatives went to check on them, family members said Monday. State troope...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- A man and woman were found dead with their unharmed baby in a remote western Alaska village when worried relatives went to check on them, family members said Monday. State troope...
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06:15 AM on 12/23/2011
what I would like to know, is why she just took the baby and left...instead of staying maybe out in the driveway or something til police got there or the tribal leaders. very sad...
05:05 PM on 12/23/2011
You don't seem to know much about weather conditions in Alaska this time of year do you? No one is going to stand around outside after midnight in -20 below blowing snow with a baby if they can help it.
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Ray Wigton
10:31 PM on 12/21/2011
This is a really sad story. What bothers me is that it makes me curious what happened to the parents, and I know that I won't ever see any follow up story explaining what happened.
07:23 PM on 12/21/2011
May they rest in peace. Very sad story. If they died of carbon monoxide poisoning, the baby would have been hurt as well. We hope the baby will find a loving home.
03:01 AM on 12/23/2011
The baby is staying with her mother's family. She is very loved. I still haven't heard what caused Gina and Jonathan's deaths. I don't think the troopers have released that information yet.
Carbon monoxide poisoning can be localized to the source, the baby may have been in another room and survived because of that.
11:49 PM on 12/20/2011
I didn't know Gina Martin, or her boyfriend, but I know her sister Patricia, the one who found them and rescued the baby. She is a wonderful, friendly, loving young lady with strong faith. Please send good thoughts to her and her family.
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topkatnc
Give a stray cat or dog a chance .
05:26 AM on 12/21/2011
Will do .. such a sad story ..
06:11 AM on 12/23/2011
def in my prayers....
11:54 AM on 12/20/2011
It's always sad when tragedies happen, and it's more sad when the tragedies happen around the holidays. My thoughts are with the family, hoping they find the reason for the deaths, hoping they find peace, and hoping the child has no memories of the tragedy.
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madcityy
11:40 AM on 12/20/2011
sadddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd and yetttttttttttttttttttttt wowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww good ending............
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gwbsucs1
use your head for sumthin other than a hatrack
11:21 AM on 12/20/2011
at least the child wqas spared this time - its sad for the parents , i hope the relatives can help that child thru its" life " !
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topkatnc
Give a stray cat or dog a chance .
05:28 AM on 12/21/2011
This time indeed ... too many times with here that the children are killed also .. even if they were to young to identify them .. sad story all the same .
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gwbsucs1
use your head for sumthin other than a hatrack
11:59 AM on 12/21/2011
i agree
10:56 AM on 12/20/2011
thank god, unlike the sara mcmeen story, at least this psychotic spared the poor child... no innocent deserves to endure what sara's children had to... i hope this baby lives to the fullest and knows how blessed she is.
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OCerInTN
Hoplophobics worst nightmare.
05:51 PM on 12/21/2011
Since police have not made any type of statement on cause of death, how do you conclude that they were murdered by a psychotic?

They way the story was written, the could have died of CO poisoning (heavier than air) if they slept closer to the floor than the baby.
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minerva117
The dog ate my micro bio.
10:14 AM on 12/20/2011
Huffpo, Imma get this out in the open................I have a slow internet connection, so I'm choosy about what streaming video or audio I will click on......when I choose to click on something, I expect to have to see or hear an advertisement as part of the video........what I DON'T like is when I click on a thread and an advertisement starts playing that I didn't click on and there's no way for me to stop it except to click out of the thread..............has it occurred to you that I might be listening to music and I don't WANT to hear an advertisement come blasting out of my speakers?......if this keeps happening, I'll get my news elsewhere at a place that doesn't bombard me with unwanted ads!!!..........OT, a tragic story but with a siver lining
10:51 AM on 12/20/2011
no one cares
12:32 PM on 12/20/2011
You sir, are American Inertia personified.
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anniee214
Woodstock Alumni, Class of 1969
12:43 PM on 12/20/2011
You mean about her internet connection, right?
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ecotopian
I am nerd, hear me geek
09:07 PM on 12/20/2011
If you're using Firefox, get AdBlock. It gets rid of ads.
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topkatnc
Give a stray cat or dog a chance .
05:30 AM on 12/21/2011
Thanks for that info .. didn't know that could be done .
10:13 AM on 12/20/2011
Lucky child
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SusieQTX
Politically correct is an oxymoron!!!!
10:06 AM on 12/20/2011
So sad!!!!
09:57 AM on 12/20/2011
How did I know Eskimo? Were they found inside an Igloo? Seriously though I am glad the child is ok.
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05:34 PM on 12/20/2011
An igloo? That's racist and not funny.
07:03 PM on 12/20/2011
Racist against who Eskimos? No way Heather. I love igloo construction.
11:51 PM on 12/20/2011
Racist, Stupid and Ignorant
12:42 AM on 12/21/2011
ohlalamomala. Im from new york what the fudge do i know about eskimos. Every movie i see they are living in igloos eating whale blubber.

I mean are you an freakin eskimo expert? But you are entitlled to your false perception of me:)
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pslcitizen
I intend to live forever. So far, so good.
09:27 AM on 12/20/2011
Amazing that the baby was found alive. Lots of prayers!
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sjser
09:18 AM on 12/20/2011
If the parents were in one room and the child was in another, and the death is from monoxide poisoning from a faulty furnace, the child had a good chance of survival if it was near an oxygen source like a poorly fitting window and her door was closed.
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pat t
10:02 AM on 12/20/2011
Oh brother!
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anniee214
Woodstock Alumni, Class of 1969
12:46 PM on 12/20/2011
Good point. Normally the carbon monoxide would kill the child first. If that is indeed the cause of death.
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OCerInTN
Hoplophobics worst nightmare.
05:59 PM on 12/21/2011
Even in the same room, the child could survive if it was sleeping above the level of CO and the parents were not.
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