Vanished Under Ice: The Enduring Mystery of Edward Irby’s Disappearance

The Last Known Moment

Edward Paul Irby, aged 46, vanished under tragic circumstances linked to an industrial accident at the Fort Knox Mine near Fairbanks, Alaska. On April 13, 1997, only two days into bulldozer training, Irby was operating heavy machinery that reversed down a steep slope and plunged through the ice into a tailings pond—never to emerge. The bulldozer was fully submerged and no witnesses saw the accident unfold. His supervisor noticed his absence and alerted authorities, but divers were unable to recover his body despite being deployed within two hours.

Search Efforts and Recovery Attempts

Following the accident, the Alaska State Troopers conducted an underwater recovery attempt, entering the pond within hours of the incident. Despite their efforts, Irby was never located. Fairbanks Gold Mining, Inc., the mine operator, continued its own search through the summer without success. The failure to recover any physical remains has left the case unresolved in many respects and deprived the family of closure....Read More

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