Peter Sallaffie Missing Person Case

Jan 22, 2021

May 01, 2024

Peter

Sallaffie

28

25

66 inches

140 lbs

American Indian / Alaska Native

Male

On a cold New Year's Day in 2021, 25-year-old Peter Joseph F. Sallaffie and his companion, Joseph Hale, were traveling by snowmachine near Tuluksak, Alaska. The two men, both residents of Bethel, had made the trip to Tuluksak to visit a relative and were making their way back. As darkness fell, a terrible mistake occurred. They inadvertently took the hovercraft trail instead of the marked snowmachine trail at the mouth of the Tuluksak River. This wrong turn led them directly into an unmarked area of open water on the treacherous Kuskokwim River. Peter was reportedly wearing a green jacket and black Carhartt snow pants and was carrying a Ruger .22 rifle. The tragic event was witnessed by members of Tuluksak's COVID-19 response team. Despite their proximity, by the time they could reach the open hole in the ice, both Peter and Joseph had vanished from sight into the frigid water. A search began almost immediately, though it was initially hindered by a lack of experienced personnel on the scene. Volunteers from Tuluksak and surrounding communities soon came together, demonstrating the tight-knit nature of the region in times of crisis. That same weekend, the searchers were able to recover the body of Joseph Hale. This heartbreaking discovery only strengthened the resolve of the volunteers who returned to the open water day after day, determined to bring Peter home as well. The dedicated search for Peter Sallaffie continued, with community members and volunteers persistently dragging the open hole in the Kuskokwim River. The search highlighted the skills and resilience of the local people, with one search leader expressing pride in the young searchers who stepped up to help. In the wake of the accident, the dangerous open water near Tuluksak was marked with blue reflective tape to prevent similar tragedies. The overview of this case is a deeply saddening account of a journey that ended in tragedy due to a simple mistake made in the dark on an unforgiving river. It is a story of two men lost, a community that rallied together in the face of loss, and the enduring pain for a family still waiting for their loved one to be found.

Jan 01, 2021

Tuluksak

Alaska

Bethel Census Area

No

98525

Alaska State Troopers

Anchorage

Alaska

Anchorage Borough

99507

Malia Miller

Missing Persons Clearinghouse Manager

5700 East Tudor Road, Alaska

9072695511

State

Law Enforcement

AK21000385

2021-01-02

Alaska State Troopers

6131

Black

Brown

Brown

07/04/2026