Alaska State Troopers have released the names of the two other travelers that remain missing on the frozen Kuskokwim River.
Twenty-six-year-old George Evan, and 27-year-old Sally Stone, both of Akiak are feared dead after the ATV they were riding slipped into a hole on the frozen river.
Fifty-one-year-old Ralph ‘Jimmy’ Demantle, also of Akiak, is also believed to have been riding the ATV. His body was recovered from the ice hole near Kwethluk Sunday.
Megan Peters is a spokesperson for the Alaska State Troopers.
“There were two adult males and one adult female. They were supposed to be traveling from Bethel to Akiak via four-wheeler and they just hadn’t shown up. When the search and rescue group went to see if they could find any signs of them, essentially they were able to find a single set of ATV tracks going into an open lead. A machine was recovered and also the body of Ralph Demantle has been recovered from the water and search and recovery efforts are continuing for the other two,” said Peters.
The missing travelers were reported to troopers at around 5:00 p.m. Friday. They were last seen in the Kwethluk area Thursday night. Bethel Search and Rescue says the three were traveling at night in snowy weather.
On Saturday searchers and State Trooper Air Assets began a search and found an open hole above Kwethluk with a single set of ATV tracks leading into it.
Troopers say alcohol is believed to be a factor in the incident. The search for Evan and Stone continues.
