A Coast Guard helicopter crew from Air Station Sitka recovered the body of a missing Fairbanks hunter on Tuesday morning.
Shortly after 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Alaska Wildlife Troopers were notified that 46-year-old Ryan Ruesch was missing near Lake Diana, 15 miles southeast of Sitka, at an elevation of over 1,700 feet. Ruesch, who was hunting mountain goats on Monday, became separated from his hunting party, and did not return to camp by nightfall.
State troopers notified the Coast Guard, who launched a helicopter from Air Station Sitka. The air crew located Ruesch below a 300-foot cliff.
His body was recovered and returned to Sitka shortly before noon Tuesday, where he was officially pronounced deceased by paramedics.
Troopers report that Ruesch’s next of kin have been notified.