Three people have mysteriously been found dead aboard a boat - just moments after a woman first reported the death of her friend.
The first death was reported on Wednesday at around 2.23pm after a 34-year-old woman discovered 51-year-old pal Curtis Edwin Anderson dead aboard a private boat in Juneau, Alaska, US.
Juneau Police Department were called to the The Dusky Rock, a 35ft commercial sailing vessel anchored off Sandy Beach, where they confirmed the death of Mr Anderson.
However, at around 6.20pm on Friday, officers received another phone call to say that a 28-year-old woman was found dead on the vessel, which was still anchored at the same location.
According to police, the caller heard a dog hog howling on his friend's boat when he went to check the noise and discovered the body.
“The complainant reported hearing a dog howling on his friend’s boat, the Dusky Rock,” JPD stated.
“He went out to check on the dog and found a deceased female on board.
“With assistance from Docks and Harbours, JPD and CCFR responded to the vessel and confirmed there were two deceased females on board the Dusky Rock.
"Nobody else was located on the vessel."
The vessel was towed to Aurora Harbour amid concerns there could be breathable toxic substances in the rooms.
The dog was taken off the vessel and is safe and with a temporary owner as cops investigate the deaths.
“There was concerns of whether it was safe to be down in the cabin for toxic gases or carbon monoxide potential,” the harbourmaster said.
“Once we got it into Aurora Harbour, CCFR came again, gas-freed it to make sure the oxygen levels were good and there were no toxic gases down there.
"And then JPD took over the investigation, removed the two deceased and the investigation is with JPD now.”
According to cops, there are no initial signs of foul play regarding the death of the man discovered on Wednesday - with the three individuals being sent to the Alaska Medical Examiner’s Office in Anchorage for autopsies.
"The initial investigation showed no signs of foul play. The use of controlled substances may have been a contributing factor in these deaths", Juneau Police Department said.
Pete Phillips, who owns and lives in a boat in the harbour, said the Dusky Rock was in need of general upkeep as it was built in 1984 and would often be docked overnight.
He told the Juneau Empire having the boat anchored offshore near Sandy Beach for an extended period at night was "not super common."
“It’s safe, it’s locked up, it’s tied up right now and it’s in a good place,” he said. “So we’ll decide next steps Monday morning.”
