Larry Joe McVey, 38, was a Vietnam veteran and trapper from Manley Hot Springs who vanished on May 17, 1984, after driving with 24-year-old carpenter Dale Madajski to the Tanana River boat landing about a quarter-mile outside town. Their boat remained on its trailer and drinks were left in the truck, signs family members found when the pair did not return that afternoon.

A drifter, Michael Alan Silka, was seen in the area that day and was later linked by investigators to a sudden wave of violence centered on the river landing that claimed multiple residents, including McVey. Troopers tracked Silka on May 19; during an attempted arrest he opened fire, killing Trooper Troy Duncan and was then shot dead by troopers. Madajski’s body was recovered from the Tanana on June 11, 1984, and later that month a recovered body was identified as Joe McVey. McVey’s family chose cremation and his ashes were scattered over the Tanana River.

Silka’s death meant there was no formal arrest or trial; authorities identified him as the person responsible.