On August 10, 2018, 56-year-old Earl 'Rocky' Ashworth, III, a resident of Palmer, Alaska, traveled with four acquaintances to an area near mile marker 56 of the Seward Highway, south of Anchorage. The group's intention was to explore a gold mine in the vicinity. Ashworth, accompanied by his ten-year-old dog, Cruiser, opted to wait at their campsite while his friends descended to the mine. When his companions returned, they found Cruiser alone; Ashworth was nowhere in sight.
He was last seen at approximately 5:00 p.m. wearing a blue t-shirt with cutoff sleeves and an American Eagle emblem, blue jeans, and either rubber boots or flip-flops. Ashworth, described as a white male with blond hair and blue eyes, stood at 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighed around 185 pounds.
The circumstances surrounding Ashworth's disappearance prompted an immediate but ultimately unsuccessful search by the Alaska State Troopers. The initial efforts were soon expanded to include a helicopter, volunteers from the Alaska Mountain Rescue Group, and two teams of search dogs, yet no trace of Ashworth was found. Subsequent large-scale searches of the rugged terrain also yielded no clues as to his whereabouts. His mother, Joyce Farley, recalled the painful experience of going to the area herself, calling out for her son in the rain and mud to no avail. The group he was with did not report him missing until after midnight, approximately six hours after he was last seen. Investigators later learned that three of the individuals who were with Ashworth were found at his apartment moving items out shortly after he disappeared.
Despite the passage of time, the case of Earl Ashworth, III remains unresolved. Investigators looked into various aspects of his life, noting that he was not an experienced hiker and had health issues. Phone records were examined, and interviews were conducted with the individuals he was last with, but no conclusive evidence of foul play was uncovered. His mother expressed her hope for closure, grappling with the painful uncertainty of her son's fate. The disappearance of Earl 'Rocky' Ashworth, III continues to be a painful mystery for his family, leaving behind a void of unanswered questions in the vast Alaskan wilderness where he was last seen.Last Seen: Aug 10, 2018
