Rescue workers are searching for a man who left his home in Tununak to get firewood and hasn’t returned.
On Saturday morning, Jazmin James left Tununak by snowmachine with a group of friends. The twenty-six-year old was planning to haul wood from Nunapitchak. On Saturday evening, after a long day on the tundra, he and his friends started to drive home. According to Jazmin James’s father, Tununak Tribal Administrator James James, Jazmin didn’t have much wood to tow and was traveling a bit faster than the rest of his group. He was making good time and James expected his son home early Sunday morning.
"But when I woke up and checked his room, he wasn't there," James said. "So I got worried."
According to the Alaska State Troopers’ report on the incident, Jazmin James stopped briefly in Nightmute on his way home, and residents there say that he was having problems with the snowmachine's tracks.
His family reported him missing on Sunday afternoon. On Sunday evening, Toksook Bay Search and Rescue personnel found James’ snowmachine on the sea ice near Rocky Point. They were only able to see it when the tide went out. The search for the missing man continues.
"Pray for his family," said James James. "We hope we find him. Search and rescue workers from Tununak, Nightmute, and Toksook Bay are looking for his son. The Alaska State Troopers are searching for him too, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife pilot Robert Sundown is flying over the area with a spotter, looking for signs.
Jazmin James was last seen wearing a blue jacket and black Carhartt snow pants. If you have any information about where he might be, contact the Troopers immediately. Toksook Bay Search and Rescue is also looking for more volunteers.