HOMER, AK – A former assisted living facility worker admitted to killing a woman he once cared for, bringing an unsettling end to a case that gripped a coastal Alaska community for nearly five years.

Kirby Calderwood, 36, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the disappearance and death of 38-year-old Anesha “Duffy” Murnane, whose sudden vanishing in October 2019 set off a widespread search in Homer, a town about 220 miles from Anchorage. The plea comes as part of a deal that resulted in the dismissal of eight additional charges, including first-degree murder and kidnapping.

Murnane, who lived with bipolar disorder, was last seen leaving her supportive housing complex. When she failed to return, police, fire crews, and volunteers combed the town and woodlands but found little trace of her. Her mysterious absence weighed heavily on residents and her family, who kept her case in the public eye with missing-person flyers and ongoing appeals for information.

For years, the investigation yielded frustratingly few leads until a breakthrough in 2022. An anonymous tipster reported Calderwood as the possible perpetrator, revealing chilling details about the abduction, murder, and disposal of Murnane’s body. Calderwood, who had worked at the same facility as Murnane in 2018, had since left Homer for Utah.

Investigators soon learned Calderwood had confided in his wife about the killing, admitting to taking Murnane’s life in the crawl space of his then-girlfriend’s home. Homer authorities, acting on the tipster’s information, searched the house and recovered Murnane’s DNA from the crawl space—offering the first concrete evidence linking Calderwood to the crime.

Ogden, Utah, police, who assisted in the investigation, executed search warrants at Calderwood’s residence. During the search, officers discovered a small black Timex watch inside Calderwood’s dresser—a watch Murnane was known to wear. Next to it, they found a missing-person flyer bearing the victim’s photograph, further connecting Calderwood to the case.

Court records indicate Calderwood took the wristwatch as a trophy, an act that both the tipster and Murnane’s family described in detail. The affidavit also catalogued past allegations of sexual and physical violence made by several women who previously dated Calderwood. One claimed he had admitted to harming animals as a child, while others reported incidents of rape and disturbing behavior.

The case affidavit described Calderwood as having a pattern of violent and abusive conduct dating back years, including fantasies involving torture and murder. Some of these allegations were allegedly reported to the U.S. Army, though subsequent actions by the military are unclear.

Key details provided by the anonymous source allowed law enforcement to piece together a timeline: Calderwood is alleged to have spotted Murnane while driving, offered her a ride in his blue Subaru, and lured her into an empty house under the pretense of retrieving a phone charger. Once inside, he assaulted and killed her, disposing of evidence by throwing her cellphone in a lake and concealing her remains.

Despite extensive efforts, Murnane’s body has never been recovered. Still, the discovery of her DNA and personal items in Calderwood’s possession was enough to secure his conviction.

Calderwood is scheduled for sentencing on July 1. Under the plea agreement, he faces a 99-year prison term, with 12 years suspended. The resolution brings closure to one of Homer’s most haunting cases but leaves lingering questions for a community still seeking answers.