Earston Shaw Missing Person Case

Nov 06, 2019

Apr 26, 2024

Earston

Shaw

111

74

70 inches

185 lbs

White / Caucasian

Male

In the winter of 1989, a 74-year-old man named Earston Lewis Shaw, who was often called "Ernie," vanished from his home in Ketchikan, Alaska. He was a white male with graying hair and blue eyes, and he wore brown plastic bifocal glasses. He was known to have his upper teeth missing and had a long scar on his chest. On January 11, 1989, he was last seen in Ketchikan, reportedly wearing a cotton plaid shirt, navy blue wool pants with a thin red line, red or orange long underwear, red suspenders, and Sorrel boots. Two days after he was last seen, on January 13, 1989, he was officially reported as a missing person to the Alaska State Troopers. The disappearance of Ernie Shaw quickly took a dark turn as the investigation progressed. The circumstances surrounding his vanishing were deemed suspicious by law enforcement. Evidence uncovered by the Alaska State Troopers led them to believe that Ernie had met with foul play. The investigation culminated in a significant development later that same year when two men, John Wulf and John McClelland, were charged with the murder of Earston Shaw. This development suggested that authorities believed Ernie was no longer alive, and that his disappearance was the result of a criminal act. Despite the serious charges brought against John Wulf and John McClelland, the ultimate resolution of their legal cases is not clearly documented in publicly available online records. Information regarding a trial, potential convictions, or acquittals is scarce, leaving the final chapter of the legal proceedings ambiguous. The case of Earston "Ernie" Shaw is a somber tale that began as a missing person report and evolved into a homicide investigation. While authorities were confident enough to press murder charges, the lack of accessible information on the outcome leaves the full story of what happened to Ernie Shaw in the winter of 1989 partially untold. His body has never been recovered, and without a definitive conclusion to the criminal case, his disappearance remains a haunting mystery for the community of Ketchikan.

Jan 11, 1989

Ketchikan

Alaska

Ketchikan Gateway Borough

No

66168

Alaska State Troopers

Anchorage

Alaska

Anchorage Borough

99507

Malia Miller

Missing Persons Clearinghouse Manager

5700 East Tudor Road, Alaska

9072695511

State

Law Enforcement

890003716

1989-01-13

Alaska State Troopers

Gray or Partially Gray

Blue

Blue

07/23/2026