Michael John Roberts, known locally as Mike, vanished on June 9, 1998, when the 26-foot gillnetter F/V Pearl capsized near Grass Island Bar on the Copper River Delta. He was the only person aboard. The Alaska State Troopers responded and mounted a search of the waters; neither Roberts nor the vessel was recovered. The State Troopers filed a report three days later noting Roberts was a white male with brown hair, blue eyes, and a scar on his right shoulder.

The loss left his family and the Cordova fishing community without closure. In Alaska the case remains open until resolved, and the circumstances recorded emphasize the risks inherent in commercial fishing. Did anyone in Cordova or who fished those grounds in June 1998 see the Pearl or notice anything unusual that day?