Troopers find body of missing Wasilla man; search continues for another

PETERSVILLE — A man missing in the Petersville area who was the subject of multiple days of searching was found dead Wednesday afternoon, Alaska State Troopers report.

John Gamble, 47, of Wasilla, was last seen at the start of this month when he and friends went to a mining camp near Cache Creek. His friends left the area July 2 but Gamble stayed behind, troopers report. He wasn’t reported as overdue for 11 days. He did not return to work Monday as scheduled.

On Friday his pickup was found stuck in the mud on a trail near Dollar Creek. Three days of searching on the ground and in the air, using ATVs, helicopters and search dogs failed to locate Gamble.

But on Wednesday troopers spotted a body a mile and a half from the pickup.

“It was afternoon when they first spotted it but then they had to get to it and identify it and then try to notify next of kin,” trooper spokeswoman Megan Peters said.

In an unrelated incident in Healy, Alaska Railroad welder Rob Gage, 33, also has gone missing. His family reports that Gage has been working railroad bridges and living in a trailer on Railroad property all summer.

They say coworkers noticed Gage was unusually quiet at work on Friday and didn’t show up for work on Saturday. He was scheduled to be off work Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.

The family says troopers have been notified and that co-workers searched nearby trails for Gage. He is described as 6 foot 2 inches tall with a stocky build, brown hair and eyes. He often wears a stocking cap.