(Elissa Nadworny / NPR)
Authorities have recovered the body of a man who went missing in his skiff outside of a remote Southeast Alaska community Monday afternoon.
83-year-old Steven Peavey lived in the hamlet Meyers Chuck about 50 miles south of Wrangell. Alaska State Troopers say he died after failing to return home before nightfall Monday.
Peavey was reported overdue Tuesday morning (February 15). The U.S. Coast Guard launched a vessel and helicopter to assist in the search, and a U.S. Forest Service Service boat from Prince of Wales also assisted the troopers.
Peavey’s skiff was found, heavily damaged, on rocks outside Meyers Chuck later that day. Peavey’s body was located soon after. His next of kin have been notified of his death, troopers say.
Peavey had lived in the community of Meyers Chuck nearly his whole life, having moved there in 1949 at the age of seven. That’s according to a profile in Alaska Magazine.
He and his wife, Cassy, who works as Meyers Chuck’s postmistress, were also featured in a National Public Radio profile of the small community in 2017.
2/22: This article has been updated to clarify the date of Steve Peavey’s failure to return home and the subsequent recovery of his remains.
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