Public Radio for Alaska's Bristol Bay
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Body found on Kanakanak Beach identified

Police say that the body found floating off Kanakanak Beach last week is 57-year-old Murphy H. Knutsen.

In a statement Monday, police identified a body found on Kanakanak beach last week as 57-year-old Murphy H. Knutsen.

Knutsen was reported missing to the Dillingham Police on May 21, and police say they have been attempting to locate him. Knutsen’s family last saw him in early May.

On the afternoon of May 29, subsistence fishermen were checking their net for their first Chinook salmon of the summer when they spotted a body floating in the water nearby and reported it to law enforcement. Police said that the body was not immediately recognizable due to the state of deterioration.

The body was sent to the State Medical Examiner’s office in Anchorage. Fingerprints were used to identify Knutsen’s remains. Results of the autopsy are still pending. Police did not comment on whether foul play is suspected. The deceased’s next of kin have been notified.

Contact the author at avery@kdlg.org or 907-842-2200.