KOLIGANEK, ALASKA-On Saturday at about 3 pm, Donald Duncan, a Master Guide at Alaska Private Guide Service, contacted the Alaska State Troopers and notified them that one of his assistant guides had failed to arrive at a camp located two hours by boat up the Nushagak River from the village of Koliganek.

The missing guide, Brian R Murray, age 44, was last seen as he was leaving the beach near Duncan’s camp and headed up the Nushagak River. He was operating a small skiff.

Ten minutes later, one of the other assistant guides found the small skiff drifting with no one aboard.

Search efforts continued for two days with several hunting guides, Alaska State Troopers using a Supercub and helicopter, Tucker Aviation using their helicopter, a VPSO and three skiffs. The search was unsuccessful.

Next of kin has been notified. Alcohol was not suspected as a factor in the incident.

The Nushagak River flows from the Alaska Range to the Nushagak Bay, which is an inlet in Bristol Bay. The river is downstream from the proposed Pebble mine.