Samantha Davis Missing Person Case

Mar 17, 2020

Oct 22, 2020

Samantha

Davis

28

9

54 inches

65 lbs

White / Caucasian

Female

On a cold winter day in Alaska, nine-year-old Samantha Davis, along with her two younger sisters, vanished in a heartbreaking incident on February 9, 2005. The family, who lived in the small community of Port Alsworth, was flying home from Anchorage in a Cessna 206 piloted by her father, Jeremy Davis. Encountering white-out conditions with snow and poor visibility, the plane crashed into the frozen surface of Lake Clark, approximately six miles north of Port Alsworth. This tragic event set in motion a desperate struggle for survival and an immense loss for the family and their tight-knit community. The impact of the crash caused the aircraft to break through the ice and sink rapidly into the deep, frigid water. Samantha and her sisters, seven-year-old Jesse and six-year-old Katherine, were unable to escape the sinking plane. Their parents, Jeremy and Michelle Davis, managed to get out of the aircraft and onto the ice. According to reports, the father, while strapped in his seat as the plane went down, tried desperately to unbuckle his daughters' seat belts but could not save them. He ultimately had to cut his own seatbelt to survive. Faced with unimaginable grief and the harsh elements, the parents then walked for two miles in the blowing snow to find help. The couple eventually reached an empty cabin, where they found a radio to call for assistance. By that time, they were already overdue, and a search had begun. They were treated for hypothermia and injuries before being transported back to Port Alsworth. The news of the crash and the loss of the three young girls devastated the small community, where residents gathered at a local church to pray for the family. The case is a tragic story of a family outing that ended in profound loss. The aircraft sank in water estimated to be around 800 feet deep, and due to the depth and conditions, recovery of the airplane and the children was not immediately possible. The Alaska State Troopers investigated the incident, which the National Transportation Safety Board determined was caused by the pilot's loss of depth perception during a turn in whiteout conditions, leading to the collision with the lake's surface.

Feb 09, 2005

Dillingham

Alaska

Dillingham Census Area

No

77169

Alaska State Troopers

Anchorage

Alaska

Anchorage Borough

99507

Malia Miller

Missing Persons Clearinghouse Manager

5700 East Tudor Road, Alaska

9072695511

State

Law Enforcement

050010402

2005-02-09

Alaska State Troopers

Brown

Blue

Blue

07/07/2026