Overview

Last Seen: September 2, 2011 — Kenai, Alaska. Curtis Ken Plagge, 42, left his workplace in a taxi saying he was “going north.” His employer believed he meant he was going home. He was never heard from again. His final paycheck reportedly was never cashed, while his tools, four-wheeler and snow machine remained at his workplace. His case remains publicly listed as a missing-person investigation, not a confirmed homicide.

Detailed Case Breakdown

The Disappearance of Curtis Ken Plagge: What Happened After He Left Work in Kenai, Alaska?

Curtis Ken Plagge was 42 years old when he disappeared from Kenai, Alaska, on September 2, 2011. More than a decade later, his disappearance remains unresolved, with the Alaska State Troopers still identified in public case records as the investigating agency. His case is listed in the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System under NamUs case MP14865 and in Alaska records under case 110120560.

Plagge, born August 20, 1969, was described as a white male with brown hair and hazel eyes. At the time he vanished, he reportedly had long hair and a brown beard and stood between approximately 5 feet 11 inches and 6 feet 1 inch tall, weighing between 130 and 160 pounds. Identifying features included several tattoos and scars, including a tattoo bearing the name “Leo” on his left shoulder area and a dark-colored tattoo on his chest.

Curtis Plagge’s Last Known Movements

On September 2, 2011, Plagge left his place of employment by taxi. Before departing, he reportedly said he was “going north.” His employer interpreted the comment as meaning that Plagge was heading home. That departure became his last known contact. He has not been heard from since.

Several details surrounding his disappearance have made the case particularly troubling.

Plagge had his final paycheck with him when he left work, but public case information states that the check was never cashed. He also left significant belongings at his workplace, including his tools, a four-wheeler and a snow machine. Those possessions remained behind after he disappeared.

There is no publicly documented evidence showing that Plagge planned to abandon those possessions or permanently leave the area. However, the circumstances alone cannot establish what happened to him, and authorities have not publicly classified his disappearance as a homicide.

When Was Curtis Plagge Reported Missing?

Although Plagge’s last known contact occurred on September 2, 2011, current NamUs information gives an agency case number of 110120560 and a report date of December 5, 2011. The Alaska Department of Public Safety’s current missing-person data also continues to list Curtis Plagge under that case number and associates the investigation with Soldotna Alaska State Troopers enforcement.

This distinction is important: September 2 is the date he disappeared, while December 5 is the publicly listed agency report date.

What Happened After Curtis Plagge Got Into the Taxi?

That remains the central unanswered question.

Publicly available records establish that Plagge left his workplace in a taxi and indicated that he was going north, but the publicly released case summaries do not identify the taxi driver, state exactly where Plagge asked to be taken, document where he exited the taxi, or establish another confirmed sighting afterward.

The absence of those details creates a significant gap in the publicly known timeline.

His paycheck apparently went uncashed, and the tools, snow machine and four-wheeler he left behind were never reclaimed by him. Authorities have disclosed few additional circumstances surrounding his disappearance.

Is Curtis Plagge’s Disappearance Connected to Israel Keyes?

Curtis Plagge’s name has appeared in online discussions concerning Alaska serial killer Israel Keyes. Those discussions are theories rather than established investigative findings.

Posts on Websleuths and Reddit have debated whether Keyes could have encountered Plagge because Keyes was living in Alaska during that general period. Some online commenters have alternatively claimed Plagge was eventually ruled out as a potential Keyes victim. Neither assertion should be treated as established fact without supporting documentation from law enforcement.

The FBI has publicly investigated numerous possible unidentified victims of Keyes, but I found no current FBI or Alaska State Troopers source publicly identifying Curtis Plagge as a confirmed or suspected Keyes victim.

For that reason, any purported Keyes connection remains speculation unless authorities release evidence establishing otherwise.

Latest Public Information on the Investigation

As of August 13, 2026, Curtis Plagge remains listed in current public missing-person resources. The Alaska Department of Public Safety’s missing-person dataset continues to carry his name and case 110120560, while NamUs continues to maintain missing-person record MP14865.

A Crime Solvers Central case record, which draws substantially from public missing-person information, shows an update date of July 21, 2026 and describes the investigation as still open. It does not report that Plagge has been located or that authorities have announced an arrest, identified a suspect, recovered remains or reclassified the case as a homicide.

A January 2026 update to a Websleuths case discussion also continued circulating Plagge’s NamUs information and identifying marks, rather than reporting a resolution. Community discussion can help maintain awareness, but it should not be confused with an official investigative update.

The publicly available information therefore remains strikingly similar to the original circumstances: Plagge left work in a taxi on September 2, 2011, said he was going north, took a paycheck that apparently was never cashed, left valuable personal possessions behind and seemingly vanished.

Nearly fifteen years after his disappearance, what happened after Curtis Ken Plagge left his workplace remains unknown.

Anyone with information that could help investigators determine where Plagge went after leaving work—or who may know the identity of the taxi driver, his destination, people he encountered or other circumstances surrounding September 2, 2011—should contact the Alaska State Troopers. The Department of Public Safety currently lists the Kenai Peninsula / Southeast Alaska Dispatch number as (907) 262-4453.