Remains of a child found Sunday in Kotlik are believed to be that of a boy who went missing there last year, according to Alaska State Troopers.
Troopers spokesperson, Megan Peters says just before midnight Sunday, Troopers from Emmonak were notified that human remains were found in a large hole in Kotlik that is always filled with water.
“Right now it appears that the remains that were found are that of a small boy named Terrell Hunt who went missing last May. Unfortunately hey were not able to find him and after search efforts went on. That is a tentative ID at this point but with everything that we know about this case, it appears that it is Terrell Hunt,” said Peters.
On May 20th of last year the boy was reported missing in the village. An organized search was conducted for two weeks with no results. Local residents continued to search until the river became frozen this winter.
Troopers responded to the scene Monday, where their investigation revealed that the remains were consistent with that of the missing child, including clothing the child was wearing. The water is being drained from the large hole using pumps, to recover additional clothing.
The remains were sent to Anchorage to the State Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy and positive identification. Troopers have notified the boy’s family.
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.
