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Ben Le, missing since a hike at Port Armstrong on Aug. 10, was found dead at the bottom of a cliff

by Cale Green · from an AI draft by Walter AlaskaNews(1mo ago)
1 min readBaranof Island, Alaska

Alaska Wildlife Troopers identified the hiker who went missing near Port Armstrong as Ben Le, troopers said Thursday. A search crew aboard a National Guard helicopter found a motionless body on Wednesday, in a gully at the bottom of a tall cliff in the area where he was believed to have gone missing. Troopers have recovered the body and notified his next of kin.

Alaska State Troopers said Le left for a hike the morning of Aug. 10 and planned to return by 4:30 p.m.

When he did not return, colleagues searched by land and boat, then notified troopers.

Formal search efforts began the morning of Aug. 11. The Alaska National Guard, Juneau Mountain Rescue, Alaska Wildlife Troopers, Sitka Fire Department Search and Rescue, SEADOGS and the U.S. Coast Guard took part. Troopers said extensive ground and aerial searches turned up no sign of the man. Crews stopped for the night at 8:20 p.m. Tuesday. The search resumed Wednesday morning with the National Guard, the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center and the thermal drone team.

Troopers have not said what caused Le's death. This account comes from the trooper dispatch alone. No other party is quoted in it.

Catch up with StoriesShort audio from the last two days.

Source: Alaska State Troopers, Alaska State Troopers: Multi-agency search underway for missing hiker in Port Armstrong ().

Drafted with AI. Edited by Cale Green (1 revision). No full editor review is on record. Who is accountable.