On the afternoon of October 21, 1997, 42-year-old Steven Scott Austin and his companion, 50-year-old William Kent Watkins, were seen in Seldovia, Alaska. The two men were aboard a private vessel named the 'Loose Goose Too' and had stopped to purchase fuel. This transaction in the small, remote community on the Kenai Peninsula would be the last confirmed sighting of either man. From there, they seemingly vanished into the vast and unpredictable waters of the lower Cook Inlet, leaving behind a mystery that has endured for decades.
Following their disappearance, an extensive search was launched by the U.S. Coast Guard. Search and rescue teams scoured the entirety of Kachemak Bay and the lower Cook Inlet, a formidable expanse of water known for its strong currents and challenging conditions. Despite their efforts, no trace of the 'Loose Goose Too' was ever found.
Not a piece of debris nor any sign of the two men aboard ever surfaced, deepening the anguish for their families and confounding investigators. The Alaska State Troopers officially took the report on October 26, 1997, documenting Steven as a man with brown, collar-length wavy hair, a three-inch beard, and blue eyes. He had several distinctive features, including scars near his eyes, on his chin and upper lip, and a notable scar on his chest from a prior heart surgery, as well as tattoos of an eagle on his right forearm and another on his right arm.
The case of Steven Austin and William Watkins remains an unsolved and open investigation with the Alaska State Troopers. With no vessel recovered and no further evidence emerging over the years, the circumstances surrounding their disappearance are left entirely to speculation. The complete absence of any wreckage suggests a sudden and catastrophic event may have occurred, giving the men no time to send a distress signal. The waters of the Cook Inlet are notoriously treacherous, and it is possible they fell victim to the unforgiving Alaskan sea. Ultimately, the story is one of two men who embarked on a maritime journey and were never heard from again. The search yielded nothing, and the passage of time has offered no new clues, leaving their loved ones without answers and their fate a haunting question mark in the annals of Alaska's missing persons cases.Last Seen: Oct 21, 1997
