In the fall of 2004, a 21-year-old man named Eric M. Apatiki traveled from his home on St. Lawrence Island to Nome, Alaska. It was October 5th, and he had made the trip for two reasons: to cash his Permanent Dividend Fund check and to visit his girlfriend, who was pregnant with their son. He was staying at the Polaris Hotel with his mother and planned to return to his village in a few days.
The last time he was seen, he was wearing a red jacket with white stripes on the shoulders, a white knit tank top, white pants, tan leather shoes, and a dark blue baseball cap.
The circumstances surrounding Eric's disappearance are distressing. According to his mother, around midnight, four young men from other villages entered their hotel room and forcibly took her son out into the street. She reported seeing them beat him before he managed to break free and run away. Eric has not been seen or heard from since that night. His family fears that he met with foul play. He left behind his expectant girlfriend and a family that continues to search for answers.
Eric's case is one of many unsettling disappearances and unsolved deaths involving Alaska Native individuals in the Nome area, a pattern that has been noted since the 1960s. This has led to the formation of community safety groups and meetings aimed at addressing these numerous cases. While authorities have investigated, they have not publicly concluded that a serial predator was involved. The disappearance of Eric Apatiki remains an open and troubling case, leaving his loved ones without closure and the community with lingering questions about the safety of its members. The exact date of the events is unclear from various sources, but the general timeframe points to early October 2004.Last Seen: Oct 5, 2004
