Missing fishermen found after search called off

TALKEETNA — Two fishermen reported overdue were safe Saturday evening after a two-day search-and-rescue effort, authorities said.

Kao Saelee, 32, of Anchorage, and a 16-year-old minor left the Parks Highway headed upstream along Goose Creek Thursday afternoon with two friends, according to Alaska State Troopers spokesperson Megan Peters. The party became separated in the dense scrub and swampland surrounding the creek, and two of the foursome followed the creek to the highway and returned safely to Anchorage. However, Saelee and the 16-year-old were not with them.

The two fishermen who made it safely to Anchorage returned Friday among a group of about 20 people to begin an improvised search-and-rescue effort to locate the two missing fishermen. They searched all day Friday without success, but did not notify Alaska State Troopers of the two missing persons. When troopers were finally notified about 1 a.m., Saturday, it was by a person not directly involved in the search, Peters said.

After troopers joined the search, they began circulating photos of the pair to local campers, and were told a pair resembling the missing fishermen had left the area in the vehicle. The search and rescue efforts were disbanded about 11 a.m., Saturday.

However, a few hours later the 16-year-old wandered onto the Upper Susitna Shooters Association gun range about 3 p.m., Peters said. He told troopers he had become separated from Saelee Thursday evening, authorities said.

About the same time, the campers who had reported the pair had safely left called back to say they had confused the pair with other campers who had since returned. Using information from the minor, a wildlife trooper in a plane spotted Saelee about 1 mile northeast of the gun range and was able to guide rescue personnel to his location and bring him back using an ATV, according to Peters.

The pair were treated separately for dehydration and transported to an unidentified local hospital, authorities said.

The moral of the story was to inform friends and other fishermen of your plans, and then inform law enforcement in the event of a deviation from that plan, Peters said.

“If you tell somebody you’re going to be back by 5 p.m., we would much rather get a phone call back 10 minutes later saying ‘Hey! My buddy got back. Just kidding,’” she said. “That’s a good outcome.”

From the time a report is made, troopers must also move resources into play, set a search radius, and organize a timeframe, Peters said.

“All that takes time,” she said.

Outdoorsmen and women should also leave word with a friend they know will inform law enforcement immediately if needed, Peters said. Troopers have in the past faced delayed notification when a person expected to inform law enforcement didn’t because of outstanding warrants or other legal issues, Peters said.

“If your friend hates cops, maybe don’t ask that friend,” she said. “Tell someone who’s more likely to call.”

Contact Brian O’Connor at 352-2269 or brian.oconnor@frontiersman.com.