The actual murder rate for any community is always higher than the reported murder rate.  This is because numbers of people who are murdered are not found to be classified as murder cases.  Historically 70% of missing persons wanted to be missing - they left home for whatever reason.  [This is not normally a crime].  The remaining 30% were murdered (eventually - sometimes not immediately).  If one adds this uncounted number, the murder rate for most places is significantly higher - on the order of 500% - as the official rate indicates.  It is, however, more a more stable indication than actual murder rate is when the number of murders is small, as it is in Anchorage.  The overall murder rate (when any reasonable proportion of missing is included) appears to be fairly stable or in a slow decline.