The body of an Alaska Army National Guardsman missing since February was found Sunday morning after an extensive two-day alpine search by nearly a dozen search and rescue groups.
Nephi Soper's body was discovered at Tanaina Lake, near Tikishla Peak in the backcountry of the Chugach Mountains at 11:17 a.m. on Sunday, according to an Alaska State Troopers dispatch posted online.
Soper, 26, of Oak Grove, Missouri, was originally reported missing on Feb. 18 after he failed to report for a guard drill.
At the time, troopers said the guardsman, described as physically fit and an experienced outdoorsman, had planned to hike from Prospect Heights to Long Lake, and then to traverse between Tanaina and Koktoya peaks into the Ship Creek Valley, where he would eventually exit the mountains at Arctic Valley Road and enter Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.
He was last seen by a taxi driver who dropped him off at the Prospect Heights trailhead.
In February, troopers headed a six-day search that was called off for lack of leads. This weekend's coordinated search was an effort to find Soper in more favorable summer conditions.
Nearly a dozen local search and rescue groups participated in the most recent search, which began on Saturday. It involved the Alaska Army National Guard, Alaska Mountain Rescue Group, K-9 teams, a trooper helicopter, members of the Nordic Ski Patrol and organizations from Anchorage, the Mat-Su area and Fairbanks. The search was managed by the Alaska Incident Management Team for Search and Rescue on behalf of Alaska State Troopers.
Tanaina Lake is northwest of the Ship Creek Valley and was not part of Soper's planned route, according to troopers.
Soper's body was recovered and flown to Anchorage, where it was released to the State Medical Examiner Office, according to a trooper dispatch.
Soper's family has been notified.