Alaska State Troopers quickly responded to the scene of a fatal all-terrain vehicle crash off the Denali Highway on Monday. The victim's body was spotted initially, but it has not been recovered due to weather constraints and high water.
Troopers got a report at 2:09 p.m. Monday that Walter Maillelle, 55, rolled his ATV and fell into the Brushkana Creek. A friend who was riding with Maillelle, an Anchorage resident, told troopers they believed Maillelle had died.
The friend witnessed the accident and rode out to Mile 103 on the Denali to get help, troopers said.
Troopers and medics from Cantwell responded. The weather prevented troopers from sending a rescue helicopter or plane, according to an online dispatch posted Wednesday.
"They were able to see the body of Maillelle but unable to reach it as it was on the opposite side of the river. They did not have a boat to traverse the higher-than-normal river flow," the dispatch says.
People from Cantwell, about 30 miles from the accident, responded when a boat capable of making the recovery was requested. It was near dark by the time the boat launched, and when it arrived, the body was no longer where it had been, troopers said.
Searchers looked for Maillelle's body for a half-hour before calling off the effort for the night, troopers said. They returned to the search area Tuesday by boat; air assets were not used once again due to bad weather, troopers said.
Search efforts ended around 7:30 p.m.
"They reported the water level was still very high and muddy. Searchers plan to wait for the water level to go down significantly before searching again," the dispatch says.
Troopers spokesperson Megan Peters said Wednesday afternoon officials were continuing to watch and wait. Searchers would go out as soon as the water receded, Peters said.
Alaska Wildlife Troopers were advised of the incident, she said.
"If they are flying in the area for any reason, they will go over the area to see if they can see anything," Peters said.
Maillelle's family has been told about the death and is being informed about the continuing search efforts, troopers said.