Rob Mourant Missing Person Case

Mar 17, 2020

May 21, 2024

Rob

Mourant

68

23

76 inches

220 lbs

Uncertain

Male

On July 18, 1981, 23-year-old Rob Thomas Mourant, a recent business administration graduate, boarded an aircraft in Port Walter, Alaska, for a flight to Port Lucy. He was joined on the flight by Judy Riddell, Randall Riddell, and Norman Riddell. The aircraft, piloted by Rob's father-in-law, Dr. Norman Riddell, never reached its destination and was reported overdue. An intensive search was launched, but no trace of the plane or its occupants was ever found. The rugged terrain and often severe weather of Alaska make aviation a challenging endeavor, and disappearances are an unfortunate reality of the vast landscape. Rob Mourant was a promising and immensely popular student leader. He had served as the first student body president at both the University of Alaska Anchorage and the University of Alaska Southeast (then known as the University of Alaska Juneau). A founding member of the statewide Alaska Student Lobby, his efforts resulted in funding for significant university projects. In the fall following his disappearance, fellow students began a campaign to name the student center then under construction in his honor. The University of Alaska Board of Regents approved the proposal, and the Mourant Building remains the only building at the University of Alaska Southeast named for a student. The four individuals aboard the aircraft are presumed to be deceased. The plane is believed to have been lost somewhere off the west side of Chichagof Island. The case of Rob Mourant and the Riddell family is a somber reminder of the perils of aviation in the Alaskan wilderness, where unforgiving conditions can lead to tragic and unresolved disappearances. Despite the passage of time, the lack of any wreckage or remains leaves a lingering sense of uncertainty for the families and the community that held him in such high regard.

Jul 18, 1981

Juneau

Alaska

Juneau Borough

No

77780

Alaska State Troopers

Anchorage

Alaska

Anchorage Borough

99507

Malia Miller

Missing Persons Clearinghouse Manager

5700 East Tudor Road, Alaska

9072695511

State

Law Enforcement

A814542

Alaska State Troopers

na

Brown

Blue

Blue

07/14/2026