Palmer man last seen in August remains missing

Earl ‘Rocky’ Ashworth, 56, went on a trip with four friends to explore a gold mine in Hope Aug. 10, according to his mother Joyce Farley. Ashworth was reported missing that evening, and he has yet to be found.

Ashworth’s party and the Alaska State Troopers searched for him that evening. According to an AST dispatch, a hasty search was conducted with negative results. AST Helo-3 along with volunteers from the Alaska Mountain Rescue Group, Alaska Search and Rescue Dogs, and Alaska Solstice Search Dogs responded to the scene and conducted a thorough search of the area also with negative results.

According to Ashworth’s 76-year-old mother, the party that was with Ashworth went down to the gold mine while Ashworth stayed behind with his dog of 10 years, Cruiser.

“When they came back up, no Rocky. Cruiser was there and they haven’t found Rocky since,”

Farley painfully relayed as her voice began to crack with emotion and her head sunk to her chest. “They don’t know what happened to him.

“Cruiser always stays with my son. They asked Cruiser where my son was and he just stayed and wouldn’t move. When I went there it’s a steep gully and you can’t go down there. There’s no pathway down but the pathway to the mine is next to it,” Farley said.

The search area included the steep drop that Farley described.

Farley was told by the troopers to stay home on Aug. 11 while the troopers searched. On Aug. 12, Farley insisted to one of the members of Ashworth’s party that she take her to the area where the group was.

First, she searched Ashworth’s home in Palmer.

“I hurt my legs because I fell through his porch but I didn’t care. I was going to Hope to find my son,” Farley said.

When Farley and Ashworth’s friend arrived at the mine, the friend went back down to the mine. “She went all the way down to the mine but I couldn’t make it. I kept falling down because it was raining and muddy. My voice echoed as I called for Rocky but no answer,” Farley said.

Although Farley holds out hope that her son returns. The reality is that she is searching for closure. Meanwhile there are no updates from the investigation to report.

Ashworth is described as 6-foot-2 and 185 pounds. He has blonde hair and blue eyes. He was wearing cut-off sleeves and an American Eagle emblem on the front, blue jeans and rubber boots.

Anyone with information concerning the whereabouts of Earl ‘Rocky’ Ashworth III is asked to call the Alaska State Troopers at 907-262-4453 and reference AK18057245.