Overview

Last Seen: June 22, 2025, during the early morning hours

Location: Front Street in downtown Juneau, Alaska

Status: Missing; disappearance is being investigated as a criminal investigation

Main Circumstances: Stepetin was seen walking along Front Street wearing a brown T-shirt and camouflage-patterned pants. Authorities reported that he was experiencing homelessness and did not have a phone, vehicle or access to money. Investigators later developed information indicating he may have gone into the water in the downtown area on the night he disappeared. Police have not publicly established whether he entered the water accidentally or because of another person’s actions.

Detailed Case Breakdown

Benjamin William “Benny” Stepetin Missing in Juneau, Alaska: Criminal Investigation Continues After 2025 Disappearance

Benjamin William “Benny” Stepetin disappeared from downtown Juneau, Alaska, in June 2025. What began as a missing-person investigation has since developed into a criminal investigation, with police saying information obtained during the case indicates Stepetin may have entered the water near downtown Juneau on the night he disappeared.

More than a year after his last confirmed sighting, Stepetin remains listed as missing by the Juneau Police Department. His family has continued searching for answers while law enforcement has focused significant attention on Juneau’s waterfront and Gastineau Channel.

Very Brief Case Summary

Last Seen: June 22, 2025, during the early morning hours

Location: Front Street in downtown Juneau, Alaska

Status: Missing; disappearance is being investigated as a criminal investigation

Main Circumstances: Stepetin was seen walking along Front Street wearing a brown T-shirt and camouflage-patterned pants. Authorities reported that he was experiencing homelessness and did not have a phone, vehicle or access to money. Investigators later developed information indicating he may have gone into the water in the downtown area on the night he disappeared. Police have not publicly established whether he entered the water accidentally or because of another person’s actions.

Who Is Benjamin William Stepetin?

Benjamin William Stepetin, commonly known as “Benny,” was born June 27, 1983. He was 42 when he disappeared. The Alaska State Troopers missing-person bulletin describes him as 5 feet 6 inches tall and approximately 150 pounds, with short black hair, brown eyes, a mustache and beard. Distinguishing features include two dark moles on the top of his nose and a roughly two-inch scar on his forehead above his left eye.

Stepetin is Alaska Native and was well known around downtown Juneau. According to his family, he had experienced homelessness for approximately two years before his disappearance. He was known to frequent locations and services in the downtown area, including the Glory Hall.

His family emphasized that although Stepetin could sometimes be difficult to locate, disappearing for this length of time was highly unusual. His brother Martin Stepetin Sr. told reporters that normally his brother would not be missing for more than three or four days.

The Last Confirmed Sighting

The Juneau Police Department lists Stepetin’s date of last known contact as June 22, 2025.

According to the official missing-person information, he was last seen during the early morning hours walking near Front Street in downtown Juneau. He was reportedly wearing a brown T-shirt and camouflage-patterned pants.

Martin Stepetin Sr. said he had last spoken with his brother by telephone on June 17. When Benny did not reappear as expected, concern quickly grew among relatives.

There is some inconsistency in public records concerning the exact date his disappearance was formally reported. JPD’s current missing-person page and the Alaska State Troopers bulletin state that Stepetin was reported missing on June 29, 2025, while a May 2026 JPD information release states he was originally reported missing June 26. The confirmed last-known-contact date, however, remains June 22.

Family and Community Launch Extensive Searches

Stepetin’s relatives began searching throughout Juneau, checking places where he was known to spend time as well as shelters, hospitals, correctional facilities, downtown streets and other locations.

Family members and volunteers searched on foot, drove throughout the area, made phone calls and distributed missing-person flyers. His brothers also searched portions of Gastineau Channel by boat.

By July 2025, searches had expanded into less visible locations, including homeless camps, wooded areas, bridges and other places where someone might seek shelter. Family members continued posting updates online and investigating tips themselves.

Not every reported sighting could be confirmed. This distinction is important: the last officially documented contact remains June 22, 2025, despite later tips and rumors concerning possible sightings around downtown Juneau.

Search Turns Toward Gastineau Channel

As tips accumulated, increasing attention turned toward the waterfront.

In September 2025, Stepetin’s family arranged a private underwater search near the downtown cruise-ship dock. A commercial diving crew aboard the Two Sisters spent more than 12 hours searching underwater on September 14 and 15 using a remotely operated vehicle and a diver.

The search concentrated on the seabed and structures beneath the downtown docks, an area connected to numerous reported sightings or rumors. The operation did not locate Stepetin. Strong tides, poor underwater visibility and the large potential search area complicated the effort.

His family nevertheless continued searching both the shoreline and land. By December 2025, six months after his disappearance, relatives were still publicly asking for answers and stressing that they had not stopped looking for Benny.

Police Say People May Be Withholding Information

A significant development emerged publicly as the investigation continued.

Juneau Police Deputy Chief Krag Campbell said police believe there may have been people involved in Stepetin’s disappearance who were withholding information. That statement elevated concerns that his disappearance might involve circumstances beyond an accidental missing-person case.

Authorities have not publicly identified a suspect, announced an arrest or established exactly what happened to Stepetin.

Family members have also received tips suggesting Benny might have been pushed into the water. Those reports remain unverified publicly. His brother has acknowledged the possibility that, without surveillance footage or additional evidence, the family may never know precisely what occurred.

Accordingly, claims that Stepetin was pushed, attacked or killed should be treated as possibilities or reported tips—not established facts.

Disappearance Classified as a Criminal Investigation

In May 2026, the Juneau Police Department publicly confirmed an important change in how the case was being handled: Stepetin’s disappearance was being investigated as a criminal investigation.

Police said information developed during the investigation indicated it was possible that Stepetin went into the water in the downtown area on the night of his disappearance. JPD did not publicly disclose the underlying evidence that led investigators to that conclusion.

The classification does not, by itself, establish that Stepetin was murdered or that a particular person committed a crime. It does show that investigators consider the circumstances sufficiently concerning to investigate them from a criminal perspective.

Major Underwater Search Conducted in May 2026

From May 11 through May 17, 2026, the Alaska Dive Search, Rescue and Recovery Team conducted an extensive search around Juneau’s downtown cruise-ship piers in coordination with JPD detectives and members of the Stepetin family.

The operation involved divers, sonar-equipped remotely operated underwater vehicles and other underwater-search technology.

According to the Juneau Independent, the subsurface drone search covered areas beneath and around downtown docks from the Hangar on the Wharf toward the AJ dock. The operation then expanded into portions of Gastineau Channel using side-scan sonar.

KTOO reported that this was the second underwater search connected with Stepetin’s disappearance and that the Juneau Police Department funded the 2026 operation.

As of the latest publicly accessible official information reviewed for this article, Stepetin remains on the Juneau Police Department’s missing-person list. No public announcement confirming that he or his remains were recovered was located.

Latest Investigation Information

The latest major publicly documented investigative development is the May 2026 underwater search and JPD’s confirmation that Stepetin’s disappearance is being investigated criminally.

Police have said information developed during the investigation suggests he may have entered the water downtown on the night he disappeared. Deputy Chief Krag Campbell additionally told KTOO that investigators believe there may be people connected to the disappearance who are withholding information.

Stepetin’s case also remained publicly visible in June 2026. Family members carried photographs of him during Celebration in Juneau, continuing efforts to raise awareness about his disappearance.

As of the most recent official JPD missing-person listing available during this review, Benjamin Stepetin remains missing under JPD case 2025-06290064, with June 22, 2025 still recorded as his last known contact.

No publicly confirmed cause of death exists because Stepetin has not been officially declared located or deceased in the sources reviewed. Likewise, no publicly identified suspect or criminal charge directly connected with his disappearance was found.

The Search for Answers Continues

Benjamin “Benny” Stepetin’s disappearance has evolved from a search for a familiar downtown Juneau resident into an unresolved criminal investigation involving extensive family searches, community volunteers, police detectives, private divers and a specialized search-and-recovery team.

The central unanswered question remains what happened after Stepetin was seen in downtown Juneau during the early hours of June 22, 2025.

Investigators have increasingly focused on the possibility that he entered Gastineau Channel near the downtown waterfront, while his family has publicly considered both accidental and intentional explanations. Neither scenario has been conclusively established.

Anyone with firsthand information about Stepetin’s movements, interactions or circumstances surrounding his disappearance is encouraged to contact the Juneau Police Department. The case remains active on JPD’s missing-person website.