Remains found on remote Alaska island identified as hunter missing since 2009
Human remains discovered on Alaska’s Nunivak Island in 2009 were identified as those of George Smith Sr., a 79-year-old hunter from Togiak, Alaska, who disappeared after a snowmachine accident during a hunting trip. The identification followed a recent initiative by Alaska’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) Unit to collect additional family reference samples. Testing of those samples generated the critical data investigators needed to confirm Smith’s identity, providing answers to his family 17 years after his disappearance. The DNA testing that supported the identification was conducted by the Center for Human Identification (CHI) at UNT Health Fort Worth with funding provided over several years through both the Bureau of Justice Assistance’s (BJA’s) Missing and Unidentified Human Remains (MUHR) Program and the National Institute of Justice’s (NIJ’s) National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs). The identification demonstrates the powerful role of forensic technology, sustained federal support, and collaborative partnerships in resolving unidentified remains cases.
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