Joseph Knutson Missing Person Case

Jan 01, 1970

Jan 01, 1970

Joseph

Knutson

26

White / Caucasian

Male

In the quiet fishing town of Sitka, Alaska, the winter of 1986 brought with it a mystery that has lingered for decades. It was on January 5th of that year that 26-year-old Joseph "Randy" Knutson, a local fisherman, vanished into the vast and often unforgiving Alaskan waters. He was not alone; with him was his 35-year-old crewman, Richard "Rich" Behmlander. The two men had set out from Sitka Harbor between 9:00 and 11:00 in the morning aboard the 40-foot power troller, the Camelot. Their destination was the fishing grounds just beyond Salisbury Sound, a routine trip for the experienced fishermen who were targeting rockfish. They were expected to return on January 9, 1986, but the day came and went with no sign of the Camelot or its crew. As days turned into an agonizing wait, a close friend of both Knutson and Behmlander grew increasingly concerned. On January 13, 1986, this friend contacted the Coast Guard in Sitka, officially reporting the two men and their vessel as missing. This report triggered an immediate search and rescue operation. For four days, the Coast Guard scoured the waters, battling the harsh Alaskan winter conditions in hopes of finding any trace of the Camelot or its crew. Despite their extensive efforts, the search yielded no clues, no debris, and no answers. On January 17, 1986, with no leads to follow, the active search was suspended, leaving the fate of Joseph Knutson and Richard Behmlander unknown. The disappearance of Joseph Knutson and Richard Behmlander has since become a cold case, a story of two men lost to the sea that has been woven into the fabric of Sitka's local history. Knutson, the owner and operator of the Camelot, and his crewman, Behmlander, were last seen possibly wearing yellow rain gear as they headed out for what should have been a standard fishing trip. The Alaska State Troopers were assigned the case, but the absence of any wreckage or remains has left investigators with very little to go on. The case serves as a somber reminder of the inherent dangers of commercial fishing in Alaska, an industry where the vast and unpredictable ocean can sometimes claim its own. The official narrative remains that the Camelot and its two-man crew disappeared while fishing, a vague conclusion to a story that has left friends and the community with more questions than answers.

Jan 05, 1986

Sitka

Alaska

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07/19/2026