Missing for 47 years, man's skull found in Alaska; police say bear killed him

New York: In a major breakthrough, police authorities solved a 47-year-old case of a missing man by linking his death to a human skull found in Alaska more than 20 years ago. According to reports, the deceased Gary Frank Sotherden, who was 25 at the time, set off for the Arctic Circle sometime in the mid 70’s but never returned. Investigations later claimed that he most likely died from a bear mauling. As per the reports, his brother had told that the day Gary went missing, he travelled to the Porcupine River with a friend. The two were going to split up and circle the river until the water froze over, but Gary never found his friend again. A search crew made diligent efforts to locate Gary on land, in the water, and in the air but were unsuccessful. In 1997, more than 20 years after Gary was last seen, a hiker found a human skull near the river. Although at the time DNA extraction was not possible, the cold case was reopened in April. When it was determined that the skull most likely belonged to Gary, authorities contacted Gary’s brother Stephen Sotherden in late December. Stephen agreed to have his DNA tested, which may take up to a year, in order to confirm the match. Stephen and his family were given a resolution to the brother’s missing mystery on Thursday. Gary was a “free spirit,” according to Stephen Sotherden, who spent 45 years trying to find out what happened to him. When detectives got in touch with him last year and confirmed the match with his 23andMe DNA test, he finally got closer. Gary’s brother stated that after using several methods, including paddling on the Porcupine River, detectives and search parties were unable to find Gary at the time of his disappearance. The Sotherden family even hired a mountain guide on their own. According to Stephen, “He did find my brother’s webpage.” He discovered his cracked glasses. He located some identification. After giving up on their quest, the Sotherdens came to the conclusion that Gary perished as a result of the harsh weather in Alaska. Gary’s family added a grave marker that reads, “Lost in Alaska in the 1970s” to their family cemetery as a mark of respect. Stephen asserted that now that Gary’s bones had been partially discovered, his family is preparing to hold a memorial service for him in the late spring. “It’s been difficult the entire time, but at least knowing what happened is nice,” he added. Gary’s family knew him as a hunter and traveller. After graduating from high school, he travelled the US and Canada before arriving in Alaska. He was employed for the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System at the time of his passing. Read all the Latest News , Trending News ,  Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.