The Department of Public Safety announced its final update in the case of the snowmachiners that went missing when they attempted to travel to Noorvik from Kotzebue on January 16th, after the body of the second person was located on Wednesday afternoon.

After a North Slope Borough helicopter arrived in Kotzebue with searchers, those searchers located the remains of 18-year-old teen from Ambler, Thomas Brown, near Cape Blossom, 10 and a half miles to the south of Kotzebue. He was found at approximately 1:30 pm.

The first victim, 18-year-old teen from Selawik, Josiah Ballot, was located alive, four days after his disappearance 28 miles south of Kotzebue on the afternoon of January 2oth. He was transported directly to Kotzebue and then on to Anchorage for treatment of severe frostbite.

The two teens left Kotzebue around 3 am on January 16th according to their texts to friends. They were reported overdue to the troopers at approximately 12:30 pm by the Northwest Arctic Borough Search and Rescue Coordinator, and ground searches were initiated as troopers flew the trail from Kotzebue to Noorvik.

The discovery of Brown’s remains brings the 10-day search to a close. His next of kin have been notified.

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