Michael Silka

Mass Murderer

Michael Silka’s 1984 Killing Spree in Interior Alaska

Overview

In May 1984, 25-year-old drifter and Army veteran Michael Alan Silka murdered multiple people in Interior Alaska, primarily around the remote village of Manley Hot Springs, before killing an Alaska State Trooper during a helicopter pursuit. Silka was shot dead the same day during an exchange of fire in the wilderness. His crimes, concentrated along the Tanana River, left the small community reeling and launched an intensive river search for the missing.

Timeline of the Crimes

• April 28, 1984 — Fairbanks (Chena Ridge): Silka’s neighbor, Roger Francis Culp, disappears after entering Silka’s cabin; witnesses later report hearing multiple gunshots. The next day (April 29) troopers question Silka at the cabin; he claims the visible blood is from a moose hide. By May 8, troopers return with a warrant, find human blood, and discover that Silka has fled.
• May 14, 1984 — Manley Hot Springs: Silka arrives at the end-of-road community (~70–80 residents), camping by the Tanana River boat landing a few miles outside town and moving about by canoe.
• May 17, 1984 — Manley Hot Springs boat landing: Six locals go to the river between roughly 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. and vanish; blood and spent casings are later found at the site.
• May 19, 1984 — Zitziana River area: During an aerial search, Silka ambushes a trooper helicopter from cover with a .30-06 rifle, killing Trooper Troy L. Duncan, 34, and wounding the aircraft commander. Another trooper returns fire with an M16 from the helicopter, killing Silka.
• June 1984 — Recoveries in the Tanana River: In the weeks that follow, several victims’ bodies are found downstream, including Dale Madajski, recovered and identified after being spotted in the river by local residents.

Victims (Names, Dates, and Locations)

• Roger Francis Culp, 34 — Last seen April 28, 1984; Fairbanks (Chena Ridge). Believed shot inside Silka’s cabin; considered a likely victim though his body was not recovered.
• Fred Burk (also reported as Burke), 30 — Missing May 17, 1984; Manley Hot Springs boat landing. Homesteader, trapper, and fisherman; Silka fled in Burk’s motorboat. Body recovered downstream in June 1984.
• Albert Hagen Jr., 27 — Missing May 17, 1984; Manley Hot Springs boat landing. Construction worker visiting family; presumed murdered at the landing and placed in the river.
• Lyman Klein, 36 — Missing May 17, 1984; Manley Hot Springs boat landing. Husband of Joyce; body later recovered from the Tanana River.
• Joyce Klein, about 30 (four months pregnant) — Missing May 17, 1984; Manley Hot Springs boat landing. Her unborn child is often counted among the dead.
• Marshall Klein, 2 — Missing May 17, 1984; Manley Hot Springs boat landing. Son of Joyce and Lyman; presumed murdered at the river site.
• Dale Madajski, 24 — Missing May 17, 1984; Manley Hot Springs boat landing. Carpenter and cabin builder; body recovered in the Tanana River (reported June 11, 1984).
• Larry Joe McVey, 38 — Missing May 17, 1984; Manley Hot Springs boat landing. Trapper and disabled Vietnam veteran; body recovered in the Tanana River.
• Trooper Troy L. Duncan, 34 — Killed May 19, 1984; unnamed tributary of the Zitziana River, ~25 miles southeast of Manley Hot Springs. Shot from the ground by Silka during the helicopter search.

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Confirmed Victims: (8)

Fred Burk 30 yr old Male

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Michael Silka - Wikipedia

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