As Alaska State Troopers combed an portion of the Seward Highway where missing Anchorage man Kevin Mitchell’s truck was found on Saturday — they stumbled across the body of another man who they believe committed suicide.
The search for the missing Anchorage father moved to an area south of Girdwood, near mile 87.5 of the Seward Highway, where his truck was discovered.
Mitchell is believed to have left his South Anchorage home, wife and two children behind on Tuesday at about 11:30 a.m. He has not been seen since.
Family, coworkers and friends have been searching for him and updating the public via the Facebook group “Find Kevin Mitchell.”
During the search on Saturday, troopers found 41-year-old Anchorage man Joseph Melton just before noon, dead in a Chevrolet Tahoe parked out of view from the Seward Highway.
Melton’s next of kind have been notified and no foul play is suspected, according to a trooper dispatch.
Police and volunteers searched for Mitchell for several more hours Saturday before suspending their efforts. Dozens of volunteers have resumed their efforts on Sunday, according to a post in the Facebook group.
The Alaska Mountain Rescue Group incident management team is helping to coordinate the search, according to the trooper dispatch.
Mitchell’s wife told Alaska Dispatch News she believes her husband was wearing blue jeans, a black fleece jacket, a gray T-shirt and a baseball cap with the word “Alaska” on it. A $10,000 reward is being offered for his discovery.
– Staff Report
