Vongsa Keoboualapha was a 43-year-old Asian man who vanished on January 24, 1999, in the waters near St. George Island, Alaska. Also known by the names Kong Vinxay and Vong Sa Keoboualapha, he was aboard the fishing vessel F/V Westpoint in the Bering Sea when he fell overboard approximately 30 miles southeast of the island. The incident placed him in one of the world’s most remote and unforgiving maritime environments, where frigid water, severe weather and great distances from shore can make
survival and rescue extraordinarily difficult. He was not wearing a personal flotation device or a survival suit when he entered the sea. Public records describe him as approximately 5 feet 2 inches tall and 120 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. He also had tattoos on both upper arms and his chest.
At the time of his disappearance, Vongsa was reportedly dressed for work in harsh marine conditions. His clothing included orange rain gear, a green raincoat, green rain pants, a red top and black boots. Although those layers may have offered some protection from wind and spray aboard the vessel, they could not provide the buoyancy and thermal protection of a flotation device or an insulated immersion suit. After he went overboard, search efforts were undertaken in the surrounding Bering Sea, but no trace of him was found. The enormous search area, cold water and rapidly changing conditions would have complicated every attempt to locate him. The Alaska State Troopers received the report the following day and became the investigating agency, assigning case number 990012135. His disappearance was later entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System as NamUs case MP66527.
The available public record does not provide a detailed account of the moments immediately preceding the fall, including where Vongsa was positioned on the Westpoint, whether anyone directly witnessed the entire incident or what conditions were present aboard the vessel. What is documented is the central and heartbreaking sequence: he fell from the fishing vessel into the Bering Sea, a search followed, and he was never located. With no recovery and little publicly released information beyond the maritime circumstances, the case has remained listed in national and Alaska missing-person resources. The continued presence of his NamUs record preserves his identifying information and ensures that his name remains available to law enforcement, investigators and agencies reviewing unresolved missing-person cases. More than a disappearance at sea, Vongsa’s case represents a life interrupted without a final answer and a family left without the certainty that a recovery might have provided. In overview, Vongsa Keoboualapha disappeared after falling overboard from the F/V Westpoint about 30 miles southeast of St. George Island on January 24, 1999; despite search efforts, he was not found, and the Alaska State Troopers continue to be identified as the agency responsible for his unresolved missing-person case.Last Seen: Jan 24, 1999
