A woman died last week on a tundra trail between Bethel and Nunapitchuk. Elizanna Anvil, age 22, left Nunapitchuk on a snowmachine around 4 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 16 with a friend. Less than a day later, searchers found her body. In an online dispatch, Alaska State Troopers attributed her death to exposure.
According to the dispatch, Anvil and her friend were headed to Bethel. The friend returned to Nunapitchuk alone and on foot just after midnight. An hour later, when Anvil still had not shown, the troopers were called. A hasty overnight search for her by village residents in both Nunapitchuk and Kasigluk came up empty.
Later, on the morning of Jan. 17, the search expanded to the tundra trail between Bethel and Nunapitchuk. Bethel Search and Rescue found a snowmachine on its side along the trail. Nearby, they found Anvil’s body. She was lying about two miles off the main trail, and about about four miles from her snowmachine.
Bethel Search and Rescue notified Alaska State Troopers at 11:15 a.m. on Friday, January 17 that they had found Anvil. Troopers retrieved her body and transported her to the State Medical Examiner’s Office in Anchorage. Anvil's family has been notified.