Sheridan Stringer Missing Person Case

Dec 14, 2017

Apr 02, 2024

Sheridan

Stringer

56

48

69 inches

180 lbs

White / Caucasian

Male

On a cold December evening in 2017, the waters of the Gastineau Channel near Juneau, Alaska, became the scene of a tragedy that would leave a family with unanswered questions for years to come. Forty-eight-year-old Sheridan Scott Stringer, a male resident of Juneau, was a passenger in a small boat on December 5th, when the vessel capsized near the breakwater of Aurora Harbor. There were five people and a dog aboard the skiff, which was reportedly heading to the Lumberman, a 107-foot tugboat anchored in the channel that was being used as a residence. In the chaos that ensued in the rough, cold water, three of the passengers, two women and one man, along with the dog, managed to make it to safety. However, Sheridan Stringer and another man, 50-year-old James Cole, disappeared into the dark water. The initial response was swift and involved multiple agencies. A citizen reported hearing screams for help from the water at around 9 p.m. The United States Coast Guard, alongside the Juneau Police Department, Alaska State Troopers, and local search and rescue teams like SEADOGS, launched a comprehensive search. A Coast Guard helicopter and boats scoured the Gastineau Channel, covering approximately 64 nautical square miles. Despite the extensive efforts, which logged hundreds of miles of travel, neither Stringer nor Cole were located. The search was officially suspended at about 6 p.m. the following day, leaving the fate of the two men unknown. Authorities had notified their next of kin about the heartbreaking decision to suspend the active search. For years, the disappearances of Sheridan Stringer and James Cole remained a painful mystery for their loved ones and the Juneau community. A significant development in the case came in January 2020, when human remains were discovered inside a shoe on the seawalk behind the Alaska Department of Labor building. It wasn't until December 2021 that the Alaska Crime Lab confirmed the remains belonged to James Christopher Cole. This discovery, while providing a measure of closure for the Cole family, only deepened the questions for the Stringer family. Sheridan Scott Stringer has never been found and remains a missing person. The case is a somber reminder of the perils of the sea and the enduring pain of not knowing what happened to a loved one. The incident began as a desperate struggle for survival in the frigid Alaskan waters and concluded with a lengthy and agonizing wait for answers that, for one family, has yet to end.

Dec 05, 2017

Juneau

Alaska

Juneau Borough

No

918

Alaska State Troopers

Anchorage

Alaska

Anchorage Borough

99507

Malia Miller

Missing Persons Clearinghouse Manager

5700 East Tudor Road, Alaska

9072695511

State

Law Enforcement

AK17086123

2017-12-06

Alaska State Troopers

10737

Brown

Blue

Blue

07/12/2026