Ricardo Sainz Missing Person Case

Mar 17, 2020

Mar 09, 2024

Ricardo

Sainz

63

42

69 inches

185 lbs

White / Caucasian

Male

In the vast and rugged wilderness of Alaska, a dedicated U.S. Forest Service employee named Ricardo Sainz was undertaking his duties in the remote Bakewell Lake area, approximately 40 miles east of Ketchikan. On November 4, 2004, the 42-year-old fisheries biologist, known to his friends and colleagues as Rick, was working with two other Forest Service employees. Their mission for the day involved dismantling parts of a fish ladder and weir for the winter. The three men were in a small, motorless skiff on Bakewell Lake, attempting to retrieve some equipment, when they encountered perilous conditions. The lake's water level was exceptionally high, creating a severe current that pulled their small boat toward a dangerous 35-foot waterfall. Faced with an imminent and life-threatening situation, the three men made the difficult decision to abandon the skiff and try to swim to the safety of the shore. While his two colleagues managed to battle the current and reach the land, Ricardo Sainz was tragically swept away by the powerful water. This began a harrowing ordeal for his colleagues and sparked an immediate and large-scale search and rescue operation in the unforgiving Alaskan terrain. The initial hope was that he had managed to make it to shore somewhere along the waterway and was simply waiting to be found. The search involved the Alaska State Troopers, the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Forest Service, and the Ketchikan Volunteer Rescue Squad. Despite the extensive and hopeful efforts of the search teams, Ricardo was never located. Searchers faced immense challenges due to the severe creek conditions and the steep, heavily wooded canyon walls of the gorge. As days passed, some of his belongings were discovered, including his hard hat and torn pieces of his chest waders, found in the vicinity of the waterfall. This led the search to concentrate on the area below the falls, utilizing an underwater camera in the hope of finding him. However, the search efforts did not lead to his recovery. Ricardo Sainz, a 13-year veteran of the Forest Service in the Ketchikan area, is presumed to have drowned in the turbulent waters of the Bakewell Lake drainage. His case remains an open missing persons investigation, a somber reminder of the unforgiving power of nature and a source of enduring uncertainty for his family and colleagues who await answers.

Nov 04, 2004

Ketchikan

Alaska

Ketchikan Gateway Borough

No

77622

Alaska State Troopers

Anchorage

Alaska

Anchorage Borough

99507

Malia Miller

Missing Persons Clearinghouse Manager

5700 East Tudor Road, Alaska

9072695511

State

Law Enforcement

040086755

2004-11-04

Alaska State Troopers

8591

Brown

Brown

Brown

07/21/2026