UPDATE: Alaska State Troopers have released the names of the deceased in last week’s death at Eagle Summit as 59-year-old John Carroll and 55-year-old Tonya Carroll, both of Circle. Next of kin have been notified.

ORIGINAL: Alaska State Troopers report that they are investigating the deaths of two people found deceased at Eagle Summit on the Steese Highway on Wednesday evening.

Troopers had received a report that two individuals had not arrived in Circle after having departed Fairbanks earlier in the day. According to that report, the two had left in a vehicle on Tuesday.

AST reports that another motorist had spotted the vehicle earlier in the day but was unable to stop because of extreme weather conditions. AST set out with the assistance of a DOT&PF crew and managed to locate the vehicle on Wednesday evening on Eagle Summit. When troopers arrived there were whiteout and blizzard conditions at the location with 10-foot drifts in the roadway and 60 mile per hour winds.

When found, troopers broke out a window of the vehicle and found the two travelers deceased inside. However, the extreme weather conditions prohibited the recovery of the remains and vehicle so the vehicle was secured until recovery efforts could resume. It was not until Friday that weather conditions improved enough that a DOT&PF crew, Troopers, and a tow truck were able to safely recover the vehicle and bodies.

It was reported that two other vehicles had run out of fuel or became stuck on the highway and were assisted by DOT&PF crews on Wednesday.

The bodies of the two deceased travelers and their vehicle were transported back to Fairbanks where positive identification could be conducted and the investigation into their deaths could continue. AST says that no foul play is suspected. The remains were turned over to the State Medical Officer’s office for autopsy.

“The identities of the deceased will be released pending positive identification and next of kin notifications,” AST stated on Friday.

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