The search for the body of Paul Jose Rodriguez Jr., who drowned while kayaking near the Mendenhall Glacier around three weeks ago, will not resume following the record flooding from Suicide Basin that damaged or destroyed dozens of homes near the Mendenhall River.
[Three residences partially or completely destroyed, 15 condemned by Suicide Basin flooding]
“The search has pretty much concluded,” said Alisha Seward, incident commander for Alaska State Troopers. “We already had our dive teams out there for three days (before the flood) searching the bottom and using the best of their efforts, and were still unable to find him.”
Rodriguez, who was 43, was originally reported missing on July 11 and, following an extensive multi-agency search of Mendenhall Lake and Mendenhall River, a camera attached to a helmet that belonged to him revealed he had drowned.
After the camera was discovered on July 19, a recovery search began, but was initially put on hold for a few days in early August citing concerns about the expected Suicide Basin release. It briefly picked back up for three days leading up to the record-breaking release of water Saturday.
Following the release, the flood waters in the Mendenhall River rose rapidly Saturday afternoon and into the evening — eroding dozens of feet of riverbank while tearing loose trees, oil tanks and other debris — resulting in immense accumulations of items on North Douglas and other shorelines.
Seward said there is still a chance the search for Rodriguez will resume if new information or leads become apparent. However, she said it’s difficult to say without new information if the raging water could have pulled the body downstream into the ocean, or if it remains in the lake.
“Right now it has been suspended until we have anything else that gives us further leads,” she said.
• Contact Clarise Larson at clarise.larson@juneauempire.com or (651) 528-1807.
