Shakti Khanna Eppling, 39, was reported swept away while attempting to ford the Lethe River in mid‑September 1995 during a trek in the Valley of 10,000 Smokes near King Salmon, Alaska. She was with two companions about six miles above Three Forks when the river’s current pulled her downstream; the companions survived and alerted authorities. Searchers recovered her backpack but did not find Shakti, and she was presumed drowned.

She was described as having black hair and black eyes, with a diamond nose ring and a red circular Hindu tika on her forehead. At the time she went missing she wore a brown Gore‑Tex overshell parka with a National Park Service Volunteer patch, multicolored shorts, and size 5 tennis shoes. The Alaska State Troopers handled the investigation.