Alexei Klutchnikov Missing Person Case

Oct 26, 2020

Feb 12, 2024

Alexei

Klutchnikov

57

52

70 inches

215 lbs

White / Caucasian

Male

In the unforgiving waters off the coast of Nome, Alaska, 52-year-old Alexei Klutchnikov, a man known by the familiar name Alex, found himself in a desperate struggle for survival on October 15, 2020. He was aboard a 32-foot gold mining dredge vessel, the "Charlotte," with two other men, returning from a mining excursion near Bluff when disaster struck. As they made their way back to Nome's harbor, a rogue wave of formidable size crashed into their boat, causing it to capsize in the tumultuous sea approximately 17 miles east of Nome. The sudden and violent event plunged all three men into the frigid waters of the Bering Sea. In the chaos that ensued, one of the men, Pavel Denisenko, managed to reach a life raft and pull himself from the icy grip of the ocean. Before drifting away, he heroically tossed wetsuits towards his companions, Alexei Klutchnikov and his brother, Serhii Denysenko, in a last-ditch effort to help them survive. This would be the last time anyone saw Alexei. Pavel drifted for what he estimated to be an hour before washing ashore, where he was discovered by a passing motorist on the Nome-Council Road and taken to a local hospital for hypothermia. The alarm was raised, and a significant search and rescue operation was launched. The search for the two missing men was extensive and challenging, hampered by severe weather conditions that included high winds and rough seas. The U.S. Coast Guard deployed a C-130 airplane and a Jayhawk helicopter to scour the area from the air, while on the ground, 25 volunteers from the Nome Search and Rescue team combed the beaches and checked nearby cabins, hoping the men had found shelter. The capsized vessel was eventually located and pulled ashore, but tragically, neither Alexei nor Serhii were found inside. Three days into the search, the body of Serhii Denysenko was discovered washed ashore about eight miles west of where the boat had been found. Despite the grim discovery, search efforts for Alexei continued, with volunteers persistently walking the beaches east of Nome, ever watchful for any sign of him as debris from the wreckage continued to surface. The case of Alexei Klutchnikov is a somber reminder of the unforgiving nature of the sea and the inherent dangers faced by those who make their living on its waters. While one man survived the tragic capsizing of the "Charlotte," and another was eventually recovered, Alexei remains missing. The comprehensive search efforts by both air and land, undertaken in harsh Alaskan weather, were ultimately unable to locate him. His disappearance stands as a painful and unresolved chapter for his family and the close-knit community of Nome.

Oct 15, 2020

Nome

Alaska

Nome Census Area

No

93846

Alaska State Troopers

Anchorage

Alaska

Anchorage Borough

99507

Malia Miller

Missing Persons Clearinghouse Manager

5700 East Tudor Road, Alaska

9072695511

State

Law Enforcement

AK20077057

2020-10-15

Alaska State Troopers

6871

Brown

Brown

Brown

07/13/2026