Neal Gutleben was 45 when he vanished during a small-boat trip in western Alaska in October 2020. He was one of seven people last seen on October 20, 2020, after an expedition that began October 17: three men left Quinhagak in a 22-foot welded aluminum boat to go seal hunting, stopped in Bethel to pick up four more including Gutleben, and were last seen near the mouth of the Eek River after fueling in the village of Eek.

A large multi-agency search followed after the group failed to return, involving local searchers from several communities, the Alaska State Troopers, the U.S. Coast Guard (which deployed a C-130 and a Jayhawk helicopter), and Bethel Search and Rescue scanning Kuskokwim Bay. Crews recovered some debris such as gas tanks and a personal flotation device, but found no sign of the boat or any of the seven people. The Coast Guard suspended active searching on October 27, 2020; local teams continued briefly but paused at the end of October because of worsening weather and ice. Authorities said the search could be reopened if new evidence appears. The case remains unresolved and the party’s ultimate fate is unknown.

Did anyone in the region see the boat after October 20 or recover items that might help locate the missing?