Albert Hagen, Jr. Missing Person Case

Oct 11, 2018

Mar 26, 2024

Albert

Hagen, Jr.

69

27

68 inches

145 lbs

White / Caucasian

Male

In the spring of 1984, a sense of unease settled over parts of Alaska's interior, culminating in the disappearance of several individuals, including 27-year-old Albert Molton Hagen, Jr. He was last seen in the Fairbanks area around April 28, 1984. Hagen had recently returned to Alaska to visit his parents in the small community of Manley Hot Springs after having been away for about ten years. His disappearance would soon be linked to a string of violent events that shook the remote region, forever connecting his name with a dark chapter in the state's history. Albert's case is one of several that are tied to the actions of one individual who brought tragedy to the small town. The investigation into Hagen's disappearance, along with that of several other people, quickly focused on a newcomer to the area, Michael Silka. Silka, a drifter with a history of encounters with the law, had recently arrived in the Alaskan interior. On May 17, 1984, a number of residents from Manley Hot Springs vanished after going to the boat landing on the Tanana River, a location where Silka had been seen camping and paddling his canoe. Among those who disappeared that day were Albert Hagen Jr., who had gone to the river to dump some brush. The disappearances of multiple people in a single day from the tiny community raised immediate alarm, prompting residents to contact Alaska State Troopers. Authorities soon connected Silka to the disappearances in Manley Hot Springs and the earlier suspected murder of Roger Culp near Fairbanks. The ensuing search for Silka ended in a fatal shootout on May 19, 1984, during which an Alaska State Trooper and Silka himself were killed. It is believed that Silka was responsible for the deaths of at least nine people. Investigators suspect that he disposed of his victims' bodies in the vast and turbulent Tanana River, hoping the silty, freezing water would conceal the evidence of his crimes. While the bodies of some victims were eventually recovered miles downstream, Albert Hagen Jr.'s remains have never been found. His case remains a suspected homicide, an unresolved tragedy that left a permanent scar on the community of Manley Hot Springs.

Apr 28, 1984

Fairbanks

Alaska

Fairbanks North Star Borough

No

41285

Alaska State Troopers

Anchorage

Alaska

Anchorage Borough

99507

Malia Miller

Missing Persons Clearinghouse Manager

5700 East Tudor Road, Alaska

9072695511

State

Law Enforcement

8402224

1984-05-18

Alaska State Troopers

Brown

Brown

Brown

07/15/2026