PALMER -- A 45-year-old Palmer man was found dead near Mile 50 of the Glenn Highway, and Alaska State Troopers said Thursday they're treating his death as a homicide.
The body of Frank L. Pushruk was found early Thursday after a 911 caller reported that someone had been shot and killed along the Glenn just north of Palmer, troopers said.
No charges had been filed in his death as of Thursday evening, troopers spokeswoman Megan Peters said.
The Alaska State Medical Examiner's Office is conducting an autopsy.
Few additional details were available Thursday.
Palmer police and troopers responded to the 911 call, which came in at 11:58 p.m. Wednesday, troopers said. Rescue vehicles from Palmer Emergency Services also responded.
It appears that Pushruk's body may have fallen or been dropped from a roadside pullout high above the Matanuska River, near the Musk Ox Farm. The scenic viewpoint about 1,000 feet above the river sits atop a steep bluff.
Investigators with the Alaska Bureau of Investigation and state crime lab collected evidence at the viewpoint Thursday. But the body recovery had to be made by four-wheelers down below, via a trail that runs along the river in Palmer.
Pushruk had lived in Palmer for at least three decades, Palmer police Chief Tom Remaley said.
He had worked for the last few years at Rain Proof Roofing in Wasilla, a coworker said.
Reach Zaz Hollander at zhollander@adn.com or 257-4317.
By ZAZ HOLLANDER