Darren Borbridge Missing Person Case

Jan 17, 2024

Apr 22, 2024

Darren

Borbridge

20

18

73 inches

200 lbs

American Indian / Alaska Native

Male

In the winter of 2024, a tragic boating accident off the coast of Alaska claimed the lives of 19-year-old Darren Borbridge and 18-year-old Sayer Tuzon. On January 9, the two young men from Sitka were part of a group of five returning from a hunting trip on Chichagof Island, approximately 40 miles northwest of their hometown. The 26-foot aluminum vessel they were aboard overturned in rough seas in the Khaz Point area. A distress signal from the boat alerted the U.S. Coast Guard, who dispatched a helicopter from Air Station Sitka and was able to rescue three of the occupants from the water shortly after the vessel capsized. The survivors were identified as Tyson Ross, Justin Ipock, and the boat's operator, James Sturm. The following day, search and rescue efforts continued for Borbridge and Tuzon. A dive team from the Sitka Fire Department, using a remotely-operated underwater vehicle, located the bodies of the two teenagers inside the cabin of the submerged boat. However, the treacherous weather conditions, including high seas, strong winds, and freezing spray, made it too hazardous for divers to attempt a recovery of their bodies. The Coast Guard attached a transponder to the overturned vessel to track its location, but the severe storm forced their cutter to seek safe harbor, and the boat was not seen again. Despite extensive searches by air and sea covering hundreds of square miles, the vessel and the two young men were never relocated. In the wake of this tragedy, the Sitka community mourned the loss of the two young men. Fundraisers were established to help the families with memorial expenses. Sayer Tuzon was set to graduate from high school, and Darren Borbridge was expecting to become a father. In March 2024, a jury made a finding of presumptive death for both Borbridge and Tuzon, providing a form of legal closure for their families. The investigation into the incident by the Alaska Wildlife Troopers later determined that the operator of the boat, James Sturm, was intoxicated at the time of the accident. In February 2026, a grand jury indicted Sturm, leading to his arrest on charges of manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide. The case remains a somber reminder of the dangers of the sea and the devastating impact of loss on a close-knit community.

Jan 09, 2024

Sitka

Alaska

Sitka Borough

No

134104

Alaska State Troopers

Anchorage

Alaska

Anchorage Borough

99507

Malia Miller

Missing Persons Clearinghouse Manager

5700 East Tudor Road, Alaska

9072695511

State

Law Enforcement

AK24003783

2024-01-09

Alaska State Troopers

826

Brown

Brown

Brown

No

07/15/2026