Staff Report


The family and friends of Anesha “Duffy” Murnane invite the community to gather 1 to 4 p.m., May 2 at the Kachemak Bay Campus to honor the 37-year-old woman who was kidnapped and murdered in Homer in 2019. They hope to bring awareness and inspire action on violence against women.

Anesha “Duffy” Murnane in an undated photo. (Photo provided by her family)


Called “Duffy’s Journey to Justice,” the free event will feature Matt Haney, the special investigator who broke Murnane’s case, sharing information and answering questions; Michael Huelsman, Murnane’s uncle and spokesperson for her family throughout their journey; Ed Berg, her stepfather, reflecting on their experiences; and Ingrid Johnson, associate professor, Department of Justice and Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies, University of Alaska, Fairbanks.


Johnson will speak to Murnane as an individual and, regrettably, a statistic in the context of violence against women in Alaska.


“For many years, Duffy was a missing and murdered rural Alaskan woman,” Huelsman wrote in a letter published February in the Homer Independent Press. “Her case reflects a larger crisis in Alaska. She is one of many women who have gone missing and been murdered, particularly those from our rural communities.”


Murnane went missing Oct. 17, 2019, while she walked from her home at MainTree Housing on Main Street to a doctor’s appointment at Seldovia Village Tribe Health Clinic on East End Road. Friends and family started extensive searches in the Homer area through the fall and into the next year. 


A Homer Presumptive Death Jury declared Murnane dead June 17, 2021, determining her death was most likely a homicide.


One year later, police announced the arrest in Utah of Kirby Calderwood, a 36-year-old who, according to charging documents, knew Murnane from when he worked at MainTree Housing, a supported housing apartment complex. Police said Calderwood abducted Murnane while she walked on Pioneer Avenue and took her to an unoccupied Homer house where he assaulted and killed her.


On Feb. 5, 2026 — more than six years after Murnane’s disappearance, and nearly four years after Calderwood was arrested on charges of kidnapping and murdering her — Calderwood pled guilty to a single charge of second-degree murder for her death. He faces 87 years in prison and will be sentenced in Homer on July 1.


The event will include adult content. Parental discretion is advised.


The event will be available by Zoom. The Zoom link and updates will be posted to Facebook page Bring Duffy Home. Or you can email justiceforduffy@gmail.com for more information and to request the link.


Victim impact statements

Friends of Murnane are encouraging community members to submit victim impact statements prior to Calderwood’s sentencing. The statements describe how her disappearance and murder affected individuals in the community. The presiding judge responsible for sentencing will use the statements as well as the Alaska Department of Corrections to inform any future parole decisions. 


Submissions are confidential and can be made through late June.  The printed forms are available in Homer at the UPS Store and on bulletin boards around town. A digital PDF is also available.