Victor Lawrence Lane was a 33-year-old commercial fisherman whose final known day was June 29, 1984, aboard his salmon troller JENNY near Sitka, Alaska. He had hired deckhand Michael S. Blackhurst earlier that month; by late June their relationship had deteriorated and Lane planned to replace him. After anchoring in Gilmore Bay they were seen struggling aboard the boat, and later the JENNY left by an unusual route. A mayday came from the vessel; a Fish and Wildlife Protection officer found Blackhurst alone aboard and Lane missing.

Shipboard searches uncovered a large quantity of blood on the JENNY; tests showed the blood was type B positive while Blackhurst was O negative. Lane’s sleeping bag and a .22-caliber revolver were missing, and Blackhurst’s hand wound appeared more consistent with a knife cut. Blackhurst later told investigators he shot Lane three times and said he acted in self-defense. He was indicted and tried; a jury convicted him of manslaughter rather than murder, and an appellate decision describes Lane’s death as a killing aboard the JENNY. Lane’s body was never recovered and he is memorialized among fishermen lost at sea.

Did anyone who worked on Bering Sea trollers or fished near Sitka in 1984 ever hear about unusual activity by the JENNY that night?