Milton Bunyan Missing Person Case

Mar 17, 2020

Dec 02, 2020

Milton

Bunyan

39

17

68 inches

160 lbs

American Indian / Alaska Native

Male

On a late winter day in Alaska, on March 7, 2002, a 17-year-old male named Milton Michael Wayne Bunyan was with a group traveling on snowmachines from Scammon Bay to Hooper Bay. The journey between the two coastal villages is a familiar one for residents, traversing the vast and often unforgiving landscape of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. Milton, an American Indian / Alaska Native with black hair and brown eyes, was dressed for the cold in a black 'First Down' parka, black Carhartt snow pants, winter boots, and a blue hat with an American flag sewn on the front. At some point during the trip, it was reported that Milton separated from the others, accelerating his snowmachine and pulling away from the group at a high rate of speed. His companions likely assumed he was eager to reach their destination and thought little of it at the time, figuring he would be waiting for them in Hooper Bay. The following morning, a sense of unease began to settle in when it was discovered that Milton had not arrived in Hooper Bay as everyone had presumed. Compounding the worry, he was also not in Scammon Bay, his point of origin. It became tragically clear that somewhere in the expanse of white between the two communities, something had gone wrong. A search was quickly organized, with community members and authorities scouring the area in a desperate attempt to find the missing teenager. The search of the frozen landscape eventually led to a heartbreaking discovery: a set of snowmachine tracks that led directly to the edge of the ocean. The implication was stark and terrifying, suggesting a terrible accident had occurred. Further investigation and searching of the area confirmed the worst fears of those looking for Milton. On March 16, 2002, his snowmachine was recovered from the water, but there was no sign of the young man himself. The discovery of the vehicle without its rider painted a grim picture of his final moments. Despite the efforts of search parties, Milton was never located. The case remains a painful open wound for his family and community. An overview of the case suggests that Milton, for reasons unknown, veered off the established trail and tragically drove his snowmachine into the ocean. While his machine was found, his body was never recovered, leaving his loved ones without closure and his ultimate fate a mystery swallowed by the frigid waters of the Bering Sea.

Mar 07, 2002

Bethel

Alaska

Bethel Census Area

No

77876

Alaska State Troopers

Anchorage

Alaska

Anchorage Borough

99507

Malia Miller

Missing Persons Clearinghouse Manager

5700 East Tudor Road, Alaska

9072695511

State

Law Enforcement

020015647

2002-03-08

Alaska State Troopers

Black

Brown

Brown

No

06/28/2026