Gary Horace Richardson, 59, of Fairbanks was fishing with his wife and another person in the Valdez Narrows on August 27, 2005, when he fell from their 23-foot pleasure craft near Middle Rock. His wife witnessed him bending over the side to untangle lines; he went under the surface and did not resurface. He was not wearing a personal flotation device and did not know how to swim. He was last seen wearing jeans, a corduroy shirt, rubber boots and glasses.

The U.S. Coast Guard deployed a cutter, multiple small boats and a Jayhawk helicopter, and nearby Good Samaritan vessels joined the search. Crews scoured the area for about four hours before the search was suspended around 3:30 p.m. The Alaska State Troopers opened an investigation, and Mr. Richardson is presumed to have drowned.

If anyone was on the water near Middle Rock that morning or has information about the search, please share what is known.