Searchers seek missing angler

WILLOW — Dogs, helicopters, boats and divers searched Willow Creek for a second day Monday, in the hope of locating a Missouri angler reported missing Sunday.

Authorities were searching for Jerry Warner, 71, of Missouri. A photo provided to the Frontiersman by a representative of the Willow Creek Resort and reportedly being used in the search matches a photo appearing on a Facebook profile for a man whose hometown is listed as Richland, Missouri, though Alaska State Troopers spokesperson Elizabeth Ipsen said Monday they could not provide a hometown for Warner.

Warner is listed as a truck driver operating under the business name of Duck Creek Farms. Calls to the listed number went straight to voicemail.

Warner left a campsite at the resort about 11 a.m., Sunday, according to Ipsen.

“He was up here traveling through Alaska in a (Recreational Vehicle),” she said. “We got a report about 7:30 last night that he was way overdue.”

The search began about 8 p.m., according to Mat-Su Borough rescue personnel. Responding agencies suspended efforts about midnight because of darkness, and resumed about 6:30 a.m., Monday.

Search efforts were ongoing as of press time.

Terrain was playing a factor, said Mat-Su Borough Water Rescue Chief Gary Klink.

“It’s tough walking,” he said, in a press release. “It’s typical Alaska terrain — trees, brush, devil’s club, dense woods.”

Warner was last seen wearing a green camouflage ball cap, gray raincoat and green chest waders. He is an avid outdoorsman and frequently went on solo fishing trips, authorities said.