Alaska Mom Said Someone Had Hurt Her 5-Year-Old. Weeks Later, She's Now Charged with Murder

Mar. 15, 2025

Robert “Bodhi” Gagner-Sarten.Photo:GoFundMe

GoFundMe

An Alaska mother is accused of murdering her 5-year-old son after calling 911 to say someone had hurt the boy.

Sarten allegedly told police that she had tried to call police the night before but that the call wouldn’t go through, according to the release.

When police responded to the home, Sarten opened the door with what appeared to be self-inflicted lacerations to the forearms, wrists, neck and head, police claimed. Her son was found dead on the bed.

Inside the home, police claimed they found two knives and a 20-pound kettlebell weight with blood on it. There was a “significant amount” of blood in the apartment.

Police said they searched Sarten’s phone and allegedly found that she had not actually placed any 911 calls the night before.

Sarten was taken to a hospital in Seattle to be treated for injuries and was arrested there on Nov. 5 on a first-degree murder warrant. It is not immediately clear if she has retained an attorney or entered a plea.

“We appreciate everyone’s patience as our detectives investigated this case,” Fairbanks police Chief Ron Dupee said in a statement. “There is so much work that goes on behind the scenes during a murder investigation and I’m very proud of the thorough work that was done to ensure that we have a strong case and can hopefully provide some measure of justice for the victim’s family.”

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Fairbanks police said they had previously dealt with Sarten in 2020 after an officer saw her allegedly try to harm the same boy during an incident at a hospital. It’s not clear if any charges were filed in that case.

Her son was identified in a GoFundMe as Robert “Bodhi” Gagner-Sarten. The GoFundMe has been started to benefit his father.

“He was the sweetest most kind hearted, loving little boy who wanted nothing more than to play and just be a kid,” the GoFundMe organizer wrote. “He always had the biggest smile on his face and could talk up a storm. He loved to swing, play at his favorite park, and was always asking his school friends to play on the playground. He absolutely loved cheese pizza (his most favorite food in the world) and mozzarella sticks.”

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.

source: people.com