Melody Jane Kassahn, 53, and her husband Norman vanished from the Cordova, Alaska, area on March 8, 2008. The couple lived a subsistence life at a place called Big Point and were last seen leaving Cordova in their skiff at high tide. Concern grew when relatives could not reach Norman on his March 23 birthday and found the answering machine full. Melody’s brother then checked their home and saw no smoke from the chimney and the skiff missing.

The skiff was later found rolled over on a mud flat in Hartney Bay about half a mile from shore. Inside the house the pets were starving, and a search of Prince William Sound and Orca Bay failed to locate the couple. Some personal items turned up in Canoe Passage near the northern end of Hawkins Island: life jackets, survival gear, Melody’s purse, and a backpack with their mail. Strong winds that day are thought to have caused a capsize. At the time she disappeared Melody was believed to be wearing a snowmachine suit, green raingear, size 8 1/2 or 9 Xtratuf boots, a wristwatch, her wedding band, and a flotation vest.

Melody and Norman are presumed drowned after a boating accident; their bodies have not been recovered. Does anyone who knew the couple or was in the Prince William Sound area that day have information that could help clarify what happened?