Missing hunter found dead near Alaska creek he intended to cross, rangers say

Searchers found a hunter missing since Aug. 12 dead Saturday near a creek in Alaska’s Wrangell-St. Elias National Preserve, rangers said.

David White, 40, of North Pole, Alaska, had last made contact Aug. 12 to say he planned to cross Jacksina Creek to reach a hunting area across the valley, National Park Service rangers said in a news release.

After not hearing from White for four days, his contact notified rangers that White was missing, and a search began. White was officially overdue Friday while air and ground teams looked for him.

A ground search team found White’s body at 2:30 p.m. Saturday along Jacksina Creek, where he was apparently washed away while trying to cross, rangers said.

“The NPS reminds hunters and visitors to be prepared for difficult river and creek crossings that can be extremely dangerous, even for experienced backcountry users,” the news release warned.

This story was originally published August 23, 2021 at 5:15 PM with the headline "Missing hunter found dead near Alaska creek he intended to cross, rangers say."