An Alaska State Troopers helicopter late Friday recovered the decomposing body of a man that was found on the mudflats near Kincaid Park.
About 5:50 p.m., a couple walking their dog on the beach called police to report the discovery of the body, Anchorage Police Department spokesperson Renee Oistad said Saturday. The couple had been walking in the area between the Kincaid motocross track and the Kincaid Chalet.
It's not clear how long the body, identified by police only as that of an adult man, had been lying in that spot. The man appeared to have been dead for some time, she said.
The couple's call came in shortly after high tide, and there is an "excellent chance" the body washed up on the beach, Oistad said.
"(The body) may not have been there very long," she said.
Shortly after 7:30 p.m. Friday, a troopers helicopter airlifted the man's body from the beach to a nearby parking lot. The state medical examiner then took custody of the body, Oistad said.
The circumstances of the death remain a mystery. The medical examiner is working to determine the cause of death and confirm the man's identity, Oistad said.
She said the man's name will be released once next of kin are notified.