Alaska State Troopers have identified one of the two bodies found Nov. 27 in a burned Ford Bronco near Soldotna.
The Alaska Medical Examiner’s office used dental records to identify the body as 52-year-old Joni Pearcy of Soldotna, according to an Alaska State Troopers dispatch posted online Friday.
A trooper discovered the two victims in a burnt Bronco in the woods off of a trail while conducting a search near a home where two people previously reported missing were last known to have been. A trooper dispatch posted Nov. 28 states that the two bodies, which had also been burned, were believed to be those of the missing people.
Troopers have been investigating the case of two missing Soldotna residents since Nov. 20. The two were last seen the night of Nov. 14 and the Ford Bronco they usually drove was missing as well, according to a trooper dispatch.
Pearcy’s eldest daughter, Deziree Skudler of California, said her mother leaves behind five children.
“I loved her very much,” Skudler said. “She was a very free-spirited person. And she did have an amazing laugh, and she was very caring.”
Pearcy was always ready to listen and give advice if someone needed to talk about a problem they were facing, Skudler said. The investigation into the identity of the second body is ongoing, troopers wrote in the Friday dispatch.
Reach Ben Boettger at ben.boettger@peninsulaclarion.com. Reach Megan Pacer at megan.pacer@peninsulaclarion.com.
