Joseph Murphy, Jr Missing Person Case

Mar 17, 2020

Mar 29, 2024

Joseph

Murphy, Jr

85

64

70 inches

250 lbs

White / Caucasian

Male

On a day marked by wind and rain in September 2004, 64-year-old Joseph Earl Murphy, Jr. and his twin brother, James, were on a fishing trip in Alaska. They were part of a larger group of friends, former ironworkers from California, who had planned an adventure at the remote Baranof Warm Springs Lodge. The group was scheduled to fly from Sitka to the lodge on the other side of Baranof Island in floatplanes operated by Harris Aircraft Services. Due to the inclement weather, their plane, a de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver, had to take a longer, circuitous route over the water instead of the more direct path across the island's mountains. Joseph, his brother, two other friends, Gerald Balmer and Lloyd "Dick" Koenig, and the 25-year-old pilot, Erik Johnson, were on the second of three planned flights to the lodge that day. The first plane, carrying other members of their party, had departed about an hour earlier and landed safely. The floatplane carrying Joseph and the four other men departed from Sitka around midday on September 20, 2004, for what should have been roughly an hour-long flight. When the aircraft failed to arrive at the Baranof Warm Springs Lodge, it was reported overdue. Despite the plane being equipped with an emergency locator transmitter, no signal was ever detected. An extensive search was launched by the U.S. Coast Guard, the Civil Air Patrol, and civilian volunteers, covering the vast and rugged area between Sitka and Warm Springs Bay. Searchers scoured the region for nine days, but no trace of the plane or its five occupants was ever found. The official search was eventually suspended by the Coast Guard, leaving the families of the missing men in a state of uncertainty and grief. The disappearance of Joseph Earl Murphy, Jr., along with his brother and friends, remains a painful mystery. The group was on a long-awaited fishing excursion, a trip meant to be filled with camaraderie and adventure in the Alaskan wilderness. The pilot, though young, was experienced and familiar with the route. The flight took place in challenging weather conditions, which was not uncommon for the region, and the pilot had opted for a safer, albeit longer, path around the northern part of Baranof Island. Despite the comprehensive search efforts that followed the plane's disappearance, the dense forests and mountainous terrain of the island have kept their secrets. The complete absence of wreckage or any sign of the men has left their loved ones without closure, their fate officially presumed to be a fatal crash with the exact location unknown. The case stands as a somber reminder of the unforgiving nature of the Alaskan wilderness and the inherent risks of remote air travel.

Sep 20, 2004

Juneau

Alaska

Juneau Borough

No

77803

Alaska State Troopers

Anchorage

Alaska

Anchorage Borough

99507

Malia Miller

Missing Persons Clearinghouse Manager

5700 East Tudor Road, Alaska

9072695511

State

Law Enforcement

040075523

2004-09-21

Alaska State Troopers

8595

Brown

Blue

Blue

07/11/2026