Alaska News

Searchers find body of missing Sitka hiker

The body of a Sitka hiker who went missing early last week was recovered by searchers Friday, Alaska State Troopers reported.

Michael Hansen, 37, of Sitka, was last seen around 3:20 p.m. on Sept. 19 descending a trail between Picnic Rock and the summit of Verstovia Mountain in Sitka.

He was reported missing the following day, troopers wrote in an online dispatch. Dozens of volunteer searchers scoured the area for Hansen last week. At 2:30 p.m. Friday, searchers located his body, according to the dispatch.

"Hansen appeared to have died when he fell descending the mountain," the dispatch said.

Michelle Theriault Boots

Michelle Theriault Boots is a longtime reporter for the Anchorage Daily News. She focuses on in-depth stories about the intersection of public policy and Alaskans' lives. Before joining the ADN in 2012, she worked at daily newspapers up and down the West Coast and earned a master's degree from the University of Oregon.

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