Vladimir Kostenko Missing Person Case

Oct 01, 2019

Mar 14, 2024

Vladimir

Kostenko

48

41

73 inches

145 lbs

White / Caucasian

Male

In the late autumn of 2018, 41-year-old Vladimir Petrovich Kostenko, a man described by his family as being on a spiritual quest, was living in a remote cabin in the rugged Hatcher Pass area of Alaska. An immigrant from Russia, Kostenko had intentionally sought solitude, hiking 14 miles into the Purches Creek Valley in August with minimal supplies to contemplate the meaning of life. He was last officially seen on November 3, 2018. On that day, concerned friends who were pilots flew over the cabin and saw him outside. They dropped two buckets of food for him, an act he appeared to acknowledge. After this sighting, communication from Kostenko, which had been sporadic text messages, ceased. Concern for Kostenko grew as weeks turned into a month with no word. Friends flew over the cabin again on December 23 and saw no signs of life; snow covered the smokestack, indicating no fire had been lit recently. A few days later, on December 26, a friend chartered a helicopter to check on him. They found the small cabin deserted and sealed shut with a sheet of metal nailed over the door. Inside, everything was in perfect order, but Kostenko was gone. A cryptic phrase in Russian, "frankincense aroma — do not burn," was found written on a piece of wood, but there were no other notes to explain his departure. One of the food buckets dropped in December was found, suggesting he had been there after the last sighting but had left with a plan to return that never came to fruition. An extensive search of the valley by Alaska State Troopers yielded no trace of Vladimir Kostenko. The last ping from his cell phone was recorded on December 3, potentially placing him miles from the cabin, but the signal was not precise enough to pinpoint a location. The investigation into his disappearance was complicated by a confusing lead suggesting a person with his name had flown out of Alaska in mid-December, a claim that later proved to be a case of mistaken identity involving another man with the same common Russian name. Kostenko was ill-equipped for the harsh Alaskan winter, reportedly fasting and lacking proper winter clothing, which has led to speculation that he may have encountered trouble while trying to hike out of the wilderness. The case remains an unsolved mystery, leaving his family with the profound pain of not knowing what became of him in the vast and unforgiving Alaskan landscape.

Nov 03, 2018

Hatcher Pass

Alaska

Matanuska-Susitna Borough

No

64534

Alaska State Troopers

Anchorage

Alaska

Anchorage Borough

99507

Malia Miller

Missing Persons Clearinghouse Manager

5700 East Tudor Road, Alaska

9072695511

State

Law Enforcement

AK18090660

2018-12-22

Alaska State Troopers

9336

Brown

Green

Green

07/25/2026