Latest news with #AlaskaWildlifeTroopers
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Remains, sunken boat found 9 months after family goes missing
A family that went missing on a boat trip in Alaska has finally been found after nine months of searching, according to the Alaska Department of Public Safety. The Maynard family, including a mother and father and their two children, went missing in August 2024 on a boat excursion in Kachemak Bay near Homer, Alaska Wildlife Troopers said. The family was on a 28-foot aluminum boat with four other people when a distress call was made for the boat taking on water. Four people were rescued from a life raft by good Samaritans, according to the Anchorage Daily News. At the time, the U.S. Coast Guard conducted an active search and rescue mission for David Maynard, 42; Mary Maynard, 37; Colton Maynard, 11; and Brantley Maynard, 8, but it was ultimately unsuccessful, officials said. The family, from Waco, Texas, was ultimately designated as missing persons. MORE: Alleged jet ski driver charged with manslaughter in hit-and-run that killed Air Force Academy cadet candidate In April, the search began anew with Support Vessels of Alaska, Vision Subsea and Benthic Geoscience offering the use of their professional tools to search Kachemak Bay for the missing boat and the Maynards, according to officials. They found success in early May, when the vessel was found in 180 feet of water, according to Alaska Wildlife Troopers, a division of the Alaska DPS. Using a remotely operated vehicle, searchers were able to confirm the vessel they located was the missing boat with potential human remains on board, troopers said. Volunteers, with assistance from Alaska Wildlife Troopers, conducted dive operations into the vessel on Tuesday and Wednesday and recovered three sets of remains from the vessel, according to troopers. The remains were transported to the Alaska State Medical Examiner's Office for positive identification and autopsy, troopers said. Volunteer search teams continue to look for a fourth set of human remains. "The Alaska Wildlife Troopers would like to thank Support Vessels of Alaska, Vision Subsea, Benthic Geoscience Inc, and Alaska Dive Search, Rescue, and Recovery Team for their continued assistance with this search and recovery operation," Alaska Wildlife Troopers said in statement. Alaska Dive Search, Rescue and Recovery Team is a nonprofit funded by donations that responds to incidents throughout the state, according to the organization. MORE: Georgia teen forgives officer who wrongly arrested her leading to ICE detention "All team members leave their paid jobs and families to do mission around the state to being closure to families and communities around the state," the team Thursday said in a statement on Facebook. Next of kin have been notified of the remains found, troopers said. "We have been very busy and are still searching the vessel for additional remains. Identification of the remains will be released by DPS once the medical examiner completes their work," Alaska Dive Search, Rescue and Recovery Team said in a statement Wednesday. Remains, sunken boat found 9 months after family goes missing originally appeared on
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Family of 4 Vanished on Cross-Country Trip to Alaska and Human Remains Were Just Found
Human remains and a boat have been found in an Alaska bay several months after a Texas family went missing in the same area. The search for the family of four — David Maynard, 42, Mary Maynard, 37, Colton Maynard, 11, and Brantley Maynard, 8 — was launched in August 2024, according to the Alaska Department of Public Safety. State troopers said the family was labeled missing after the initial search of Kachemak Bay near Homer was unsuccessful. In April 2025, Alaska Wildlife Troopers were contacted by Support Vessels of Alaska, Vision Subsea, and Benthic Geoscience Inc., which 'offered use of their professional tools' to conduct a new search of the bay. By early May, the family's missing boat was found in 180 feet of water 'with potential human remains onboard.' Three sets of remains were recovered from the vessel from Tuesday, May 27, to Wednesday, May 28. State troopers said the remains were transported to the State Medical Examiner's Office for identification and autopsies, and that next of kin had been notified. Christi Wells, who provided a statement to the Anchorage Daily News on behalf of Mary Maynard's parents, said the mom was a traveling nurse while her husband had a lawn care business and stayed home with their kids. The Troy family enjoyed spending time with friends and family, as well as traveling, Wells stated. More than $21,000 has been raised through a GoFundMe campaign started to support the family's loved ones following their disappearance. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 'The Maynard's left a huge imprint on many people, from the laughter they brought to us, the love and family-oriented connection they provided,' wrote Tanashea Aviles, who organized the online fundraiser. She added, 'It is indescribable the void that will be left behind but I know if we come together as a family and a community they would know how much they meant to everyone.' Read the original article on People
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Yahoo
Alaska accuses prominent Kodiak family of widespread fishing permit fraud
A Bristol Bay sockeye salmon "mob" gathers in August 2004 in the Wood River, which flows into the Nushagak River just north of Dillingham. (Photo by Thomas Quinn/, University of Washington) State prosecutors have accused Kodiak fisher Duncan Fields and other members of his family of defrauding the state and fish buyers through a coordinated scheme that involved committing perjury and manipulating permits. Court documents filed Monday state that Fields and his family, who operate Fields and Sons Inc., illegally earned more than $1 million by temporarily transferring various salmon setnet permits to crew members, allowing the family to bypass state limits on individual ownership. Fields, whose family has been setnetting in Kodiak since 1961, denied the state's claims, saying by text that the 'charges stem from the gifting of limited entry permits to family and crew, something my family and I have done for more than 30 years. This is a common practice in the industry, and we believe that our family has been singled out to try to set an example with a unique application of existing statutes. The charges are not supported by the facts.' The criminal accusations against the Fields family — which include multiple felonies — surprised fishers and have implications beyond Kodiak. To avoid the appearance of impropriety, Rep. Louise Stutes, R-Kodiak, has paused work on House Bill 117, which would allow setnet fishers to pool their fish as a cooperative before sending them to a fishing tender for processing. Stutes, co-chair of the House Fisheries Committee, introduced the bill. Current regulations require each permit holder to submit their fish to a tender separately, but setnet fishers, including Fields, have testified that is impractical and has never been followed in practice. The investigation against Fields, which revealed fish pooling, prompted Alaska wildlife troopers to intensify enforcement of the regulation across the state, causing setnetters to ask for legislative action. 'It wasn't Duncan that brought this issue to us, but he's right in the middle of it, and so I just feel like it's better to stand down on that bill for now,' Stutes said, calling the bill unrelated to the accusations against Fields. According to court documents and legislative testimony, the charges against the Fields family stem from a 2023 message given to the Alaska Wildlife Troopers by the Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission. 'In 2023, the AWT received information about a set gillnet operation reportedly transferring ownership of permits at high frequency and delivering/selling fish under the names of one or two primary permit holders on behalf of other permit holders,' wrote Col. Bryan Barlow, director of the Alaska Wildlife Troopers, in legislative testimony. Alaska's 'limited entry' permit system was intended to reduce overharvesting while preserving local harvests. In Kodiak, a permit holder 'may operate no more than two set gillnets, with no more than 150 fathoms of set gillnets,' according to state regulation. Prosecutors say that to get around the restriction, members of the Fields family would gift setnet permits to crew members each fishing season, and then the crew members would gift them back to the Fields family at the end of the fishing season, retaining custody. CONTACT US The state argues in its initial filing that the gifts violated a state law that says a permit 'may not be pledged, mortgaged, leased, or encumbered in any way, transferred with any retained right of repossession or foreclosure, or on any condition of requiring a subsequent transfer.' 'As part of their investigation, wildlife investigators interviewed approximately twenty-one individual crewmembers who had permits transferred to them between 2020 and 2023,' court documents state. 'Additionally, they reviewed numerous commercial fishing documents to include permit transfer paperwork, crew member applications, crewmember contracts, gift affidavits, fish ticket data and other relevant paperwork for each individual.' Stutes, who represents the district that includes the Fields' setnet sites, gave credit to the CFEC for alerting police. 'You really have to give CFEC some kudos for catching it, saying 'Whoa, what's going on here? There's been too many transfers.' I'm really impressed with them,' she said. 'It tells me the system does work.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Yahoo
Remains of missing dogs found in crab traps
THORNE BAY, ALASKA (WJW) – Alaska Wildlife Troopers are investigating the deaths of two dogs. According to officials, two French bulldogs had gone missing on February 13 near the Thorne Bay Harbor. Woman with dementia killed by daughter's dogs: Deputies The dog's owners told KTUU they brought their dogs to work that day while they were logging. After 9:30 a.m. the dogs were nowhere to be found. One month later, troopers were on a routine inspection of shellfish pots, according to an official release. They found two crab traps – each with the remains of one of the missing dogs. Troopers later dropped the traps back down in hopes of catching the person who set them. 1 killed after truck full of teens crashes into tree: OSHP The family has issued a reward for information about what happened to the dogs. Anyone with a tip is asked to contact Alaska State Troopers at 907-826-2918. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
2 men missing, believed dead, after ATV crashes through river ice in Alaska
Alaska Wildlife Troopers are conducting an aerial search operation after a side-by-side all-terrain vehicle carrying five adults broke through the ice on the Susitna River Thursday morning. They were on their way to a job site on Point MacKenzie, about 90 miles north of Anchorage, on March 6. Troopers said in a statement that they received a report last Thursday that the ATV crashed through the ice around 8:45 a.m. "Three people were able to get out of the water, but two were reported to have gone under the ice in the current," the statement said. Troopers believe 32-year-old Skye Rench of Wasilla and 42-year-old Sean Kendall of Anchorage drowned after they fell through the river ice and were swept away. Skye Rench, 32, of Wasilla, Alaska, is one of two men missing and presumed dead after an ATV crashed through the Susitna River on March, 6. (Photo credit: GoFundMe) Sean Kendall, 42, of Anchorage, and his son Koen. (Photo credit: GoFundMe) Sky Rench's fiancée, Heidi Goozen, told Alaska's News Source that Rench was working for a drilling company with a remote project that required crossing the Susitna River. According to Goozen, Rench became worried last Wednesday when warmer temperatures brought rain. The incident happened Thursday morning during a crew change when five people were crossing the river on an ATV and it went through the ice, Goozen explained. "One of the survivors - who was a close friend of Rench's - told Goozen the back half of the ATV went through the ice and while they tried to save Rench and the other man, they were unable to get them out of the water before they were swept away," Alaska's News Source reported. The three people who made it safely out of the water walked to a nearby work camp and were later picked up by a chartered helicopter. Because ice in the area is unstable, troopers are using a plane to search for the two missing men from where the ATV plunged through the ice, downstream to the mouth of the Susitna River. Heidi Goozen and Skye Rench. (Photo credit: GoFundMe) Goozen said Rench loved to be outdoors and recently accomplished a lifelong dream by racing in "The World's Longest, Toughest Snowmobile Race" with his best friend Kevin, who was also on the ATV but managed to escape the icy river. "When they were young, they said they always wanted to race the Iron Dog, and this year they finally made it happen," Goozen told said. "It was quite the journey because the race course was not the best this year, but they finished, and they did not come in last." Goozen and Rench were supposed to be married this summer. A GoFundMe has been set up to assist Goozen as she plans funeral arrangements for Rench. Kendall leaves behind his wife Gina and 16-year-old son Koen. Sean Kendall's brother has also set up a GoFundMe to care for his son, Koen, who he calls "Sean's greatest pride and joy in life."
