Man Charged with Murder After 30-Year Cold Case Breakthrough

More than 30 years after the disappearance of Patrick Orville Dearth in Alaska, Christopher Popps, 54, of Michigan, has been arrested and charged with his murder. Dearth was reported missing in November 1993, and his body was discovered in May 2025 inside a barrel off a remote highway after an anonymous tip led investigators to reopen the case. The Alaska Bureau of Investigation's Cold Case Investigation Unit received the tip on January 22, 2025, which claimed responsibility for the murder. Investigators were initially unable to search the area due to snow cover. When they returned in May, they found human remains that were later identified as Dearth's. Popps was indicted on two counts of second-degree murder by a Fairbanks grand jury on June 25, 2026, and a warrant for his arrest was issued the same day. He was arrested by Michigan State Police on July 16 and is awaiting extradition to Alaska. As of the latest update, Popps does not have an attorney listed in Alaska court records.