Latest news with #AustinMcDaniel
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Yahoo
Western Alaska man found dead in slough, troopers say
Jul. 11—A 37-year-old Alakanuk man was found dead in a slough near the village Wednesday night, according to Alaska State Troopers. Alakanuk is a village of about 750 people near the mouth of the Yukon River in Western Alaska. Troopers were notified that a "body was found floating in a slough" at 5:09 p.m. on Wednesday evening, according to an online statement from the agency. The man was identified as Benjamin Edmund, 37. "Edmund had not been seen for multiple days and had not been reported as missing to Troopers prior to his body being discovered," the statement from troopers said. The cause and manner of death is pending until an autopsy report is issued, said Austin McDaniel, a spokesperson for the troopers. "At this time foul play is not suspected," McDaniel said.
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Yahoo
Desperate search for woman who got off cruise ship and didn't return
Authorities were searching for a woman visiting Alaska's capital city who did not return to her cruise ship from a hike she said she was taking, officials said Wednesday. The Juneau Police Department said it received a report Tuesday afternoon that the 62-year-old from Kentucky, who told relatives that morning that she was getting off the Norwegian Bliss to hike, had not returned to the vessel by its departure time. The woman's plans involved taking a tram popular with tourists partially up a mountain overlooking downtown Juneau and continuing from there, with plans to trek to Gold Ridge and Gastineau Peak, according to the state Department of Public Safety. Juneau is a popular cruise ship destination. Many tourists who ride the tram stay close to the developed area that includes the tram. There are still areas of snow on the local peaks. The department said ground and aerial searches were conducted Tuesday, with ground searches resuming Wednesday and aircraft on standby due to overcast and rainy weather. Department of Public Safety spokesperson Austin McDaniel told Alaska News Source how important it is for people to tell somebody where they are going, their journey plans and information about their clothing before travelling in the backcountry. 'If you don't return on time, they can alert first responders, alert search and rescue teams, the troopers, so we can immediately begin formulating a plan and activating resources to help get you out of the field,' he said. People should also consider bringing an additional communication device with them in case they lose mobile signal, he said. 'You might have good cell phone service, you might not. If you're not going to have good cell phone service, make sure that you're bringing some type of satellite communication device with you, whether it's an inReach or some kind of a spot device. 'Or you're using one of the more modern phones that has satellite communication services built into it.'
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Yahoo
Desperate search for woman who got off cruise ship and didn't return
Authorities were searching for a woman visiting Alaska's capital city who did not return to her cruise ship from a hike she said she was taking, officials said Wednesday. The Juneau Police Department said it received a report Tuesday afternoon that the 62-year-old from Kentucky, who told relatives that morning that she was getting off the Norwegian Bliss to hike, had not returned to the vessel by its departure time. The woman's plans involved taking a tram popular with tourists partially up a mountain overlooking downtown Juneau and continuing from there, with plans to trek to Gold Ridge and Gastineau Peak, according to the state Department of Public Safety. Juneau is a popular cruise ship destination. Many tourists who ride the tram stay close to the developed area that includes the tram. There are still areas of snow on the local peaks. The department said ground and aerial searches were conducted Tuesday, with ground searches resuming Wednesday and aircraft on standby due to overcast and rainy weather. Department of Public Safety spokesperson Austin McDaniel told Alaska News Source how important it is for people to tell somebody where they are going, their journey plans and information about their clothing before travelling in the backcountry. 'If you don't return on time, they can alert first responders, alert search and rescue teams, the troopers, so we can immediately begin formulating a plan and activating resources to help get you out of the field,' he said. People should also consider bringing an additional communication device with them in case they lose mobile signal, he said. 'You might have good cell phone service, you might not. If you're not going to have good cell phone service, make sure that you're bringing some type of satellite communication device with you, whether it's an inReach or some kind of a spot device. 'Or you're using one of the more modern phones that has satellite communication services built into it.'
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Yahoo
2 die, 1 seriously injured in plane crash on Kenai Peninsula
Two people died and another was seriously injured in the crash of a small commercial flight on the southern Kenai Peninsula on Monday afternoon. The crash occurred near the community of Nanwalek, authorities said. All the people aboard the plane were adults, Alaska State Troopers spokesman Austin McDaniel said. The injured person was medevaced to an Anchorage hospital, McDaniel said. The single-engine Cessna 207 that took off from Homer crashed around 2 p.m., according to the National Transportation Safety Board. Nanwalek is on the southern Kenai Peninsula near the mouth of Cook Inlet. An NTSB investigator arrived in the community Monday afternoon. The crash occurred near the community's airport, McDaniel said.
CBS News
25-03-2025
- General
- CBS News
Man and 2 juveniles found alive after Alaska plane crash
Juneau, Alaska — A man and two juveniles were found with non-life-threatening injuries Monday near the wreckage of a small plane on Alaska's Kenai Peninsula that had been reported overdue the night before, authorities said. The wreckage was spotted by what the Alaska State Troopers called "a good Samaritan aircraft." The pilot and the two juveniles were taken to a hospital after the wreckage was discovered Monday morning near the east side of Tustumena Lake, according to the state troopers. The three were immediate family members, troopers spokesperson Austin McDaniel said by email. The troopers confirmed to CBS Anchorage affiliate KYES sister station KTUU-TV Monday that the two passengers were of elementary and middle school ages. Troopers previously said they received a report late Sunday that a Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser was overdue. It listed suspected locations as Tustumena Lake and the Kenai Mountains, east of Homer. The 60,000-acre lake has been described by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game as "notorious for its sudden dangerous winds." Homer is a Kenai Peninsula community about 220 miles southwest of Anchorage. John Morris, who told KTUU he's the pilot's father, praised the Kenai community for its help in the search, saying he has "air in my lungs again." Family friend Scott Holmes also thanked the community, KTUU reports. After Holmes posted a call for help on Facebook, he said, his daughter told him there were 420 shares on his post. "I'm proud of the guys that stepped up and went out and helped out," Holmes said. One of the local pilots who pitched in, Dale Eicher, told KTUU he has a background in performing search and rescue. He said he'd barely started looking when he heard over the radio that someone had found the plane and the three people -- then spotted three people walking on the ice. Dennis Hogenson, of the National Transportation Safety Board, called the situation, "remarkable and good news."
