Daniel Smith of Hooper Bay was 61 years old when he went missing in October. Local search and rescue volunteers recovered his body near Bethel’s Crowley barge landing last Tuesday, May 21. Bethel Police report that no foul play is suspected, and that coroners in Anchorage identified Smith’s body using dental records.
The searchers who found Smith were looking for the body of another: Paul Kaganak from Napaskiak, who drowned in the area a few days before Smith’s recovery.
Search and rescue groups continue looking for Paul Kaganak, dragging the river bottom, hoping to find him and bring closure to his family. The searchers are glad to have brought that closure to Daniel Smith’s community.
