Michael Sharp Missing Person Case

Nov 18, 2020

Feb 23, 2024

Michael

Sharp

36

33

62 inches

130 lbs

American Indian / Alaska Native

Male

In the autumn of 2020, a sense of profound loss and uncertainty befell the community of Quinhagak, Alaska, when 33-year-old Michael J. Sharp, a male of American Indian/Alaska Native descent, vanished along with six others. Their journey began on October 17, 2020, when a small group departed from Quinhagak in a 20-foot aluminum skiff, intending to go seal hunting. They traveled to the nearby community of Bethel, where four more people joined them. The group of seven, consisting of Michael Sharp, Chad Chadwick, Neal Gutleben, Alexie Nose, Bernice Waska, Elizabeth Wassillie, and Wilson Wassillie, was last seen on October 20, 2020. Their final confirmed location was near the mouth of the Eek River on Eek Island, after stopping in the village of Eek for gasoline. Concerns grew when the party, traveling in the 22-foot welded aluminum boat with a Yamaha outboard motor, failed to return to Quinhagak as expected. An extensive search and rescue operation was launched involving multiple agencies and communities. The Alaska State Troopers coordinated with the U.S. Coast Guard, which deployed a C-130 airplane and an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter to scour the vast and challenging terrain of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta coast and the waters around Nunivak Island. Volunteers from Quinhagak, Eek, Kongiganak, and Platinum also joined the efforts, demonstrating the tight-knit nature of the region's communities. The search was hampered by challenging weather conditions, including dropping temperatures and the impending freeze-up, as well as the constraints imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, which limited the number of available searchers due to quarantines and community lockdowns. Despite their tireless efforts, official search activities were suspended by the Coast Guard and Alaska State Troopers after four days, with the local search pausing indefinitely at the end of October due to the increasingly dangerous weather. Some debris was found, including gas tanks, a bucket, a personal flotation device, and a glove, but it could not be confirmed if these items belonged to the missing boaters. The disappearance of Michael Sharp and his six companions has left their families and the wider community in a state of prolonged grief and ambiguity. With no trace of the boat or its occupants found, the presumption is that they met with a tragic accident and were lost to the water. The case highlights the inherent risks of travel and subsistence lifestyles in remote Alaskan regions, where communities rely heavily on waterways. The search efforts, though extensive, were ultimately overcome by the vastness of the search area and the unforgiving arctic environment. The case remains open, a painful and unresolved chapter for all who knew the seven individuals who embarked on a hunting trip and never returned.

Oct 20, 2020

Quinhagak

Alaska

Bethel Census Area

No

95335

Alaska State Troopers

Anchorage

Alaska

Anchorage Borough

99507

Malia Miller

Missing Persons Clearinghouse Manager

5700 East Tudor Road, Alaska

9072695511

State

Law Enforcement

AK20078884

2020-10-21

Alaska State Troopers

na

Black

Brown

Brown

06/25/2026