Troopers responded to a discovered death in Tenakee Springs at 9:15 am on Sunday.

At the scene, troopers found a Juneau man deceased on the beach near his four-wheeler. 34-year-old James Russell Vavalis was about a 1/4 mile from Tenakee Springs at Graveyard Point. 

He was found at the high water mark by a family member. It was determined that Vavalis had flipped his four-wheeler while riding on the beach.  He had been last seen at about 11:30 on Saturday night.

The investigation into his death is continuing. Vavalis’s remains were sent to the State Medical Examiner’s office to determine exact cause of death.

Vavalis’s next of kin have been notified.

Tenakee Springs, with its population of just over one hundred, is located on Chichagof Island in southeast Alaska.

  accident, Alaska, four wheeler, juneau, tenakee springs