Vern Stephen Pratt, known as Duke, was 22 when he disappeared after a November 6, 1961 hit-and-run in Anchorage. A witness saw his 1955 black and blue Plymouth in a ditch near the Portage Bar between 10:00 and 10:30 p.m.; Vern was inside, appearing intoxicated and lying in the front seat. By about 9:00 a.m. the next morning the car was still in the ditch but Vern was gone. His eyeglasses were left behind, a crucial detail because he had extreme myopia and could not see without them.

At the time he was enrolled with the Gila River Indian Community and described as 5 feet 10 inches to 5 feet 11 inches, about 155 pounds, with black hair. He was believed to be wearing charcoal slacks, a white shirt, a light gray wool jacket with knit collar and cuffs, a tie, and low-cut black shoes. Distinguishing marks included a one-inch scar on the right wrist, a one-inch scar on the left arm, and a brown mark on the left side of his torso. The Alaska State Troopers investigated, but the trail ended at the ditch and Pratt was never found.

Are there readers who remember seeing Vern, his car, or anything near the Portage Bar that night or the morning after?