After almost a month of searching for three missing moose hunters around the Lower Kuskokwim River, Bethel Search and Rescue and an army of other SAR groups and volunteers found the remains of two of the three men late last week.
Shane McIntyre, Justin Crow, and Carl Flynn first went missing on Aug. 30 while delivering supplies to their hunting cabin via boat. The three men were supposed to return that evening but were never seen again. They were delivering supplies in a KingFisher Extreme Shallow with an inboard engine, and authorities were concerned that the boat couldn’t stand up to choppy river conditions at the time. Since then, BSAR has teamed up with Alaska State Troopers, Tuntutuliak Search and Rescue, Kasigluk Search and Rescue, the Alaska Dive Team, the Air National Guard, and countless neighboring communities to comb the area for any signs of the three hunters or their boat.
On Sept. 22, a boater found Shane McIntyre’s remains in the early afternoon, according to a BSAR press release. The following afternoon, Justin Crow’s remains were found in Napakiak Slough by a member of BSAR, a different press release says. The search for Carl Flynn continues.
“Since the first two people were found afloat, our search area has now expanded from Straight Slough to the mouth of the Kuskokwim River,” BSAR said on Sept. 25. “And as each day passes, the mystery of where the boat is continues to baffle us all.”
One of the worst storms in Alaskan history made landfall on the western coast of the state on Sept. 16, which complicated search efforts for a few days. Bethel is located about 50 miles upriver from the Kuskokwim Bay.
Hunters have seen their fair share of trials and tribulations in Alaska this season. Remains of Daniel “Wun Wun” Laraux, a Bethel resident and longtime hunter, were discovered on Sept. 9 near Kalskag. Meanwhile, a month-long search for Tennessee caribou hunter Steve Keel has turned up nothing, mystifying officials. Bear attacks have haunted other hunters, including one 9-year-old boy and another fourth-generation Dillingham resident. Both attack victims survived after their hunting partners shot the bears off of them.