Mary Josephine Evans, known as Mary Jo, was 86 and ran the Valdez-Cooper Basin Insurance agency. Family members reported her missing in early November 2025 after not hearing from her since November 5. She was believed to be traveling from Anchorage to Valdez; the last confirmed sighting was security footage of her checking into the Caribou Hotel in Glennallen on the evening of November 11, 2025.

In the early hours of November 12 a fire destroyed the Caribou Hotel. Initial reports said occupants were evacuated with no injuries, but investigators later linked Mary Jo’s disappearance to the blaze. A Glennallen resident reported a severely burned vehicle in the hotel parking lot that matched Mary Jo’s blue 2020 Ford Escape; police confirmed the vehicle was hers. Searches of the fire debris with K-9 teams and by hand found no human remains, and footage showed Mary Jo entering the hotel with no footage of her leaving. Authorities state they believe she died in the fire and that the blaze appears accidental.

Family and community members continue to grieve this loss. Did anyone in Glennallen or along the Anchorage–Valdez route see Mary Jo after November 11, 2025, or have information about the hotel that could help explain what happened?