Alaska State Troopers found the body of Nick Cooke near Tuntaltuliak Friday. They received a report from the tribal police officer from Tuntutuliak that a body had been located on the bank of the Kuskokwim River just south of the Kialik River.
“Troopers were able to respond and collect the remains have been sent to the state medical examiners office for positive identification,” said Megan Peters, a spokesperson for the Alaska State Troopers.
“At this point we do believe that the remains belong to a man that was the subject of a search and rescue that began on October 25th of last year.”
The family confirmed the body found was the body of Bethel man, Nick Cooke.
Because of protocol, the remains were sent to the State Medical Examiner’s office for positive identification. No foul play is suspected.
Nick Cooke and Jim Lee Napoka were last heard from on October 22nd. They were headed to Tuntutuliak for a funeral and never made it. Freezing weather halted the search in November. Napoka is still missing.
Cooke is the brother of Bethel Native Corporation President and Alaska Federation of Natives Co-Chair, Ana Hoffman.
The family of Nick Cooke says they are preparing for a burial service in Bethel later this week.
Daysha Eaton is a contributor with the Alaska Public Radio Network.
Daysha Eaton holds a B.A. from Evergreen State College, and a M.A. from the University of Southern California. Daysha got her start in radio at Seattle public radio stations, KPLU and KUOW. Before coming to KBBI, she was the News Director at KYUK in Bethel. She has also worked as the Southcentral Reporter for KSKA in Anchorage.
Daysha's work has appeared on NPR's "Morning Edition" and "All Things Considered", PRI's "The World" and "National Native News". She's happy to take assignments, and to get news tips, which are best sent via email.
Daysha became a journalist because she believes in the power of storytelling. Stories connect us and they help us make sense of our world. They shed light on injustice and they comfort us in troubled times. She got into public broadcasting because it seems to fulfill the intention of the 4th Estate and to most effectively apply the freedom of the press granted to us through the Constitution. She feels that public radio has a special way of moving people emotionally through sound, taking them to remote places, introducing them to people they would not otherwise meet and compelling them to think about issues they might ordinarily overlook.
