Body discovered in a bus owned by a missing Southeast Alaska man

Alaska State Troopers’ Ketchikan post. (KRBD record photo)

A assemblage was recovered wrong a autobus successful Saxman, conscionable southbound of Ketchikan, complete nan weekend. The autobus belonged to Thomas Nelson, a Saxman man who has been missing since October, but troopers person not yet been capable to positively place nan body. 

On Sunday, Alaska State Troopers opportunity they detected a foul smell astir nan large achromatic circuit autobus parked crossed from nan Three Bears state station. The autobus has acheronian windows and rows of shelving blocking nan position inside. 

Troopers said nan autobus was locked from nan inside, but they were capable to unit nan doorway open. They recovered nan assemblage connected nan level successful nan backmost of nan bus. They said nan level of decomposition made it “obvious” nan assemblage had been location for months. 

The assemblage was sent to nan State Medical Examiner’s Office successful Anchorage to beryllium identified. 

Thomas Nelson, nan man that had lived successful nan autobus wherever nan assemblage was found, was declared missing successful early December of past year. Members of Nelson’s family were connected segment erstwhile nan assemblage was discovered. 

Lacey Nelson, nan missing man’s niece, said she believes nan assemblage belongs to her uncle.

“We are devastated but besides gladsome we person immoderate closure,” Nelson said successful a written connection to KRBD. “Our family is sad it wasn’t discovered overmuch sooner.”

The past clip Nelson was seen was successful mid-October, astatine nan convenience shop crossed nan street. At nan time, nan head of nan Three Bears Fuel and Convenience told KRBD that Nelson came into nan store, and their information portion showed him returning to nan autobus and past he “just vanished.”  

According to his niece, astir of Thomas Nelson’s relatives do not unrecorded successful Saxman aliases connected Revillagigedo Island. Kristie McDowell, different of Nelson’s nieces, said they had been requesting troopers hunt nan autobus for months. 

Troopers said successful an email that erstwhile Nelson went missing, they made aggregate attempts to look wrong nan locked bus, but couldn’t spot done nan clutter that was inside. They said they didn’t person authorization to unit introduction into nan autobus backmost then, but were granted forced introduction erstwhile it was suspected, owed to nan odor, that a deceased personification whitethorn beryllium inside. 

An investigation into nan decease is ongoing, but foul play is not suspected astatine this time. Troopers are presently moving to corroborate nan personality of nan deceased.