Troopers find bodies of two missing hunters

MAT-SU — Alaska State Troopers say they’ve found the bodies of two hunters who went missing during a three-day trip down the Susitna River.

According to a trooper press statement, Raymond Lyn Westbrook, 50, of Anchorage, and his friend, Eric Scott Henman, 42, of Watertown, S.D., were planning to leave the Deshka Landing at 9 p.m. Thursday, to return 9 p.m. Sunday.

Troopers say the two men planned to take an aluminum canoe down the Susitna River from Deshka Landing and hunt bear. Upon reaching Cook Inlet, they planned to hop into a vehicle parked and waiting for them at Point MacKenzie.

At 4 p.m. Monday, they were reported overdue.

Alaska Wildlife Troopers began a search with boats and fixed wing aircraft an hour later, according to the press release.

The search continued into Tuesday when, at about noon, troopers found Henman’s body near Point MacKenzie about 120 yards from the canoe. The Anchorage Fire Department provided a boat to help in the recovery.

At 3 p.m., Alaska Wildlife Troopers found Westbrook’s body in the water near Fire Island, according to the press release.

Trooper spokeswoman Megan Peters said both were found wearing life jackets.

Autopsy reports on the two men have been completed, Peters said, but troopers have not yet reviewed them. Troopers haven’t found anything suspicious, she said, and all signs, so far, point to an accident.

She said she had been talking to troopers working the case and, “every single one of them I’ve asked whether they think it was an appropriate vessel for the waterway and they all said, ‘no.’”

Contact Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.