Pilot finds body of one of 2 men lost in Susitna River, troopers say
May 23—The body of one of two men who were swept into the Susitna River when their side-by-side broke through the ice in early March during a work assignment was found this week, according to Alaska State Troopers.
The State Medical Examiner Office on Friday identified the body as 32-year-old Wasilla resident Skye Rench, troopers said in an online update.
A private pilot contacted troopers Thursday after finding the deceased individual near the mouth of the Susitna River, troopers said.
A Department of Public Safety helicopter and a member of the Alaska Dive Search Rescue and Recovery Team responded Thursday and recovered the body, troopers said.
Rench and 42-year-old Anchorage resident Sean Kendall were part of a five-man crew traveling from a remote job site to Point MacKenzie on March 6 when their six-seat Polaris Ranger utility vehicle broke through the ice at the confluence of Fish Creek and the Susitna River.
Rench and Kendall were swept under. The three others were able to walk back to a work camp.
Ice on the river complicated efforts by troopers, the nonprofit dive team and family as they searched for the men in the following days and weeks.
An update on the search for Kendall was not immediately available from troopers Friday.
The men were working for Palmer-based Alaska Directional LLC, related to a Matanuska Telecom Association project installing an underground fiber-optic cable to bring high-speed internet to Beluga and Tyonek, according to a state permit.
The incident spurred an investigation by the Alaska Occupational Safety and Health section and the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Rench was born and raised in the Mat-Su and was a 2011 Colony High School graduate, according to an obituary posted as part of a GoFundMe for his family. Rench, with partner Kevin Niemi, also ran the Iron Dog snowmachine race for the first time earlier this year.
[Previously: Company involved in fatal Susitna River incident reported near miss a few weeks later]
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