Richard Blaine Ward, known as Dick, was 64 when he disappeared from the M/V Tustemena on May 3, 2005. He was last seen in Kodiak, Alaska, as the ferry began its voyage along the Alaskan coast. At the time he was described as a white male, 5 feet 8 inches tall, about 180 pounds, with graying hair and brown eyes, wearing a blue denim shirt, blue jeans, a dark brown baseball hat and carrying a small blue backpack.

Ward was noticed missing at some point during the ferry’s passage. A search of the vessel found no sign of him, and it is not clear when he went missing or whether anyone observed anything unusual. The Alaska State Troopers opened a missing person case, submitted DNA from his toothbrush for possible future identification, and entered his information into national missing persons databases. The file remains open, and no confirmed leads or new evidence have emerged.

If anyone was on the M/V Tustemena on May 3, 2005, or has information about Ward’s movements in Kodiak that day, please share what is known.