On the evening of May 3, 1982, 19-year-old Vern Jay Sylvester was with three teenage friends at a campsite near the north end of Russian Jack Springs Park in Anchorage. A stranger rifled their tent; when the group discovered him he drew a .38-caliber revolver and shot each teen, killing all four where they fell among the trees and paths.

Detectives soon linked the killings to Charles Louman Meach III, described as a drifter who had been on work-release while under supervision related to prior psychiatric commitments. Meach was arrested on May 6, 1982, and later confessed when confronted. Prosecutors charged him with four counts of first-degree murder; in February 1983 a judge imposed consecutive terms totaling 396 years.

Vern’s death is recorded on public memorial listings alongside the other teenagers taken that night. Does anyone have memories of Vern or the group at Russian Jack that night, or information that could add to the record?