Man found in Willow Creek identified

WILLOW — Alaska State Troopers have identified the body found in Willow Creek on Sunday as a 22-year-old Anchorage man.

Trooper spokeswoman Megan Peters said on Tuesday that the body had been identified as Macklin Stevenson. She said the family has been notified.

No foul play is suspected in the death, though Peters said the circumstances leading to Stevenson’s demise remain somewhat undetermined. He was by himself, she said, and she said troopers didn’t know why he was in the area.

Peters said a resident at a a home near mile 39 of Willow-Fishhook Road the creek spotted Stevenson’s body in the nearby creek at around 10:30 Sunday morning.

“They could see out their window,” she said.

Peters said it would be up to the State Medical Examiner to determine the exact cause of death. She did remind people that cold temperatures and wet weather can turn deadly faster than people often realize.

“The best thing to do right now is to remind people how cold it is and to be prepared for the winter weather and all situations that you might encounter,” she said.

Stevenson’s body was the second found in Willow Creek since September, when the remains of a fisherman missing since August, 2014 were found by a hunter. No foul play was suspected in that case, either.