Search suspended for missing man
On the Y-K Delta
Alaska State Troopers in St. Mary’s were notified at 10:35 a.m. Aug. 20 that Paul Tinker, 33 of Marshall, had not returned from a boating trip. Troopers determined that Tinker had last been seen at about 11:30 p.m. Aug. 19 in his 21-foot Carolina Skiff headed up the Yukon River to an unknown destination. Tinker’s boat was found on the riverbank about a quarter mile downstream of Marshall. A hasty search with three boats was sent out immediately. An AWTaircraft from Aniak responded to the area, but Tinker was not located.
On Aug. 21 a large scale search effort was conducted. The search involved up to 19 boats, and ranged from Russian Mission down river to St. Mary’s. On Aug. 22 recovery operations began. The search employed two specialized SONAR systems, several fish finders and drag equipment. The recovery operations continued until the evening of Aug. 25 at which time the official search was discontinued. Tinker will be listed as a missing person, according to troopers.