September 4, 1978 was an exciting day for Scott and Amy Fandell, as their aunt Kathy was

coming to stay with them for a few days in their small, Alaskan hometown.

The children's father wasn't in the picture anymore, and their mother Margaret was not only

looking forward to seeing her sister, she was greatly relieved to be getting some help

around the house.

But little did they know, their lives as they knew them were about to change, forever.

When Kathy arrived in the early evening, both she and Margaret took 13-year-old Scott and

eight-year-old Amy down to a local bar in Arcade name Good Time Charlie's, letting them

binge on soda and video games until just before 10pm.

When the two women announced their bedtime, the children protested, but eventually allowed

themselves to be driven back to the small log cabin where they lived.

However, Margaret and Kathy weren't quite ready to call it a night, and after dropping

the kids back at the cabin, they decided to return to Good Time Charlie's to continue drinking.

Shortly before departing, Margaret told her children not to stay up too late and that

they'd be back sometime after midnight.

Kathy then told Scott to lock the door once they departed and reply, Scott apparently

laughed.

It was later established that he laughed because the door's lock was broken, and despite

his insistence that she had it fixed, his mother had neglected to do so.

Once their mother and aunt were out of sight, the Fandell kids decided to sneak over to

their neighbor's place, the Lepthens, to play with their five kids.

It's not clear what a bunch of kids were doing out so late on the Monday night, but one

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