Troopers: Man found in Parks Highway ditch victim of homicide

Alaska State Troopers have determined that a man found dead in the ditch along the Parks Highway near Houston Nov. 2 was the victim of a homicide.

In an updated online post published Monday, troopers identified the man as 32-year-old Patrick McMullen of Wasilla. According to the dispatch, Troopers were called to the area of Mile 59 of the Parks around 9 a.m. Nov. 2 for a report of an unresponsive person. McMullen’s vehicle was found in a pullout at Mile 59, and McMullen “was found deceased on an ATV trail a short distance away,” according to the dispatch. In the Monday update, troopers did not elaborate on how or when McMullen died or provide a description of his vehicle. His body was sent to the state medical examiner’s office.

Troopers are asking that anyone traveling in that area after 9 p.m. on the night of Wednesday, Nov. 1 — “and who may have seen vehicles at the pullout or anything suspicious in the area” — to call troopers in Palmer at 352-5401. Case number AK17078337 should be referenced.