The Alaska Department of Law, United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska, Anchorage Police Department, and Federal Bureau of Investigation Alaska Office are working together to investigate claims made by convicted killer Joshua Wade that he murdered three people in addition to Anchorage residents Della Brown and Mindy Schloss.

In 2009, Wade pled guilty and was convicted of carjacking and killing Mindy Schloss in 2007. As part of that conviction, Wade also admitted to murdering Della Brown in 2000. The Alaska Superior Court imposed a sentence of 99 years to serve and the United States District Court imposed a consecutive sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole for the overall conduct.

The original sentences imposed against Wade required that he be imprisoned for at least 66 years by the State of Alaska Department of Corrections before being eligible for parole on the state conviction. If Wade was paroled, he would be transferred to the Federal Bureau of Prisons to serve the balance of his life behind bars for the federal conviction, with no possibility of release.

Under the terms of an agreement later reached between Wade and state and federal law enforcement, Wade agreed to provide information about three murders that he claims responsibility for committing. In exchange, prosecutors agreed to transfer Wade from state prison to a maximum security federal prison outside of Alaska to serve his life sentence.

Wade told Anchorage Police Detectives and Agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation that he is responsible for the murder of man in Anchorage in 1994 and for the murder of another man in Anchorage in 1999. Law enforcement believes Wade is referring to the unsolved murders of 38-year-old John Michael Martin in 1994 and 30-year-old Henry Ongtowasruk in 1999. Wade also stated that he killed an unidentified man on the same night he murdered Della Brown in 2000.

The families of Mr. Martin and Mr. Ongtowasruk have been notified that Mr. Wade has claimed responsibility for the deaths of their loved ones and request the news media respect their right to privacy. Law enforcement is in the process of following up on Wade’s admissions to determine whether they are truthful and accurate. Law enforcement is not able to further discuss the investigations in light of their being open and active.

If anyone has information they have not previously provided to law enforcement concerning these crimes, they are asked to call Anchorage Police Detective Sgt. Markiewicz at (907) 786-8582 or the FBI at (907) 276-4441. Tips can be submitted anonymously via telephone by calling Crime Stoppers at 561-STOP or online at www.anchoragecrimestoppers.com.

Federal, state and local law enforcement as well as federal and state prosecutors will continue working together, as they have for years now, to solve any and all crimes committed by Wade and to provide closure for the families of his victims. We want to reiterate that Wade has been transferred to a maximum security federal prison where he will spend the rest of his life in jail without the possibility of parole.