Richard Behmlander Missing Person Case

Jan 01, 1970

Jan 01, 1970

Richard

Behmlander

35

White / Caucasian

Male

On a winter morning in Sitka, Alaska, 35-year-old Richard "Rich" Behmlander and his fellow fisherman, Joseph Knutson, prepared their vessel for a trip to the fishing grounds. Sometime between 9:00 and 11:00 AM on January 5, 1986, they departed Sitka Harbor aboard the 40-foot power troller, the Camelot. Their destination was the waters just outside Salisbury Sound, where they intended to fish for rockfish. Behmlander was reportedly wearing a green wool plaid flannel shirt, blue jeans, and "Tree tough" rubber boots. The two men planned to return to port on January 9, 1986. When the scheduled return date passed with no sign of the Camelot or its crew, a close friend of both men grew concerned and contacted the Coast Guard in Sitka. An official report was filed with the Alaska State Troopers on January 13, 1986, and a search and rescue operation was promptly launched. For four days, crews scoured the waters, searching for any trace of the missing vessel or the two fishermen. The search, however, yielded no clues as to what had happened to Behmlander and Knutson. With no leads to follow, the active search for the Camelot and its crew was suspended on January 17, 1986. The disappearance of Richard Behmlander and Joseph Knutson is a somber reminder of the perils faced by those who make their living on the Alaskan seas. With no wreckage or debris ever found, the fate of the two men and their vessel remains an unanswered question, a lingering mystery in the maritime history of the region. The case is a difficult example of how quickly the powerful and unpredictable nature of the ocean can change lives, leaving behind only questions and a profound sense of loss for the families and community waiting at the harbor.

Jan 05, 1986

Sitka

Alaska

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07/23/2026