Nick Alfred Zaukar, a 44-year-old American Indian or Alaska Native man, vanished on December 15, 2000 while traveling on the Holitna River from Bethel to his home in Sleetmute. He was described as medium build, 5 feet 8 inches, about 150 pounds, with black hair, brown eyes and a scar on his forehead. Witnesses on the river reported seeing his vehicle’s taillights veer off course and disappear into an area of open water where the vehicle reportedly broke through thin ice.

The Alaska State Troopers were notified the next day and opened an investigation. No sign of Zaukar or his vehicle has been found, and authorities have presumed he drowned based on the witness accounts of the vehicle breaking through the ice. The case is treated as a tragic accident in remote, hazardous winter conditions.

Did anyone in the Sleetmute or Bethel area have contact with Nick around December 15, 2000 or information about travel on the Holitna River that evening?