Authorities respond to body found in Mendenhall River

Published 11:45 pm Tuesday, April 9, 2019

Authorities are investigating the discovery of a body made Wednesday morning in the Mendenhall River near the Dredge Lake Trail system.

Police say the deceased person is an adult male from out of state and there were no signs of trauma to his body.

He was spotted shortly after 11 a.m. after a man saw a coat in the water about 15 feet from the shore, according to a Juneau Police Department press release. Once to the coat, the man realized it was a body that had been wedged on a rock. After responding to the scene, police hauled the body to shore just after noon.

Capital City Fire/Rescue Assistant Chief Tod Chambers said the body was located about a 30-minute walk upriver from the Dredge Lake Trailhead on Back Loop Road in about knee-deep water.

JPD Officer Steve Scherrer said the body looked as though it had been there at least two days. The body will be taken to the State Medical Examiner’s Office, where an autopsy will be performed.

• Contact reporter Nolin Ainsworth at 523-2272 or nainsworth@juneauempire.com.

• Contact reporter Nolin Ainsworth at 523-2272 or nainsworth@juneauempire.com.