Overview

Last seen: October 22, 2019, at approximately 8:27 p.m.

Location: Near the Georgeson Botanical Garden on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus in Fairbanks, Alaska.

Main circumstances: Smith spoke directly with a University of Alaska Fairbanks police officer and said he was going to Murphy Dome Road. He then left on foot toward Sheep Creek. He was carrying several gym-style bags and was dressed for cold weather in a tan hooded coat, winter bib overalls and black winter boots, but authorities specifically noted that he had no hat or gloves. He has not been confirmed seen or heard from since.

Detailed Case Breakdown

Gregory Dewayne Smith Missing in Fairbanks, Alaska: What Happened After His 2019 Disappearance?

Gregory Dewayne Smith was 61 years old when he disappeared from Fairbanks, Alaska, on October 22, 2019. His last confirmed encounter occurred on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus near the Georgeson Botanical Garden, where a campus police officer spoke with him shortly before he walked away carrying several bags. More than six years later, Smith’s whereabouts remain unknown.

Brief Case Summary

Last seen: October 22, 2019, at approximately 8:27 p.m.

Location: Near the Georgeson Botanical Garden on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus in Fairbanks, Alaska.

Main circumstances: Smith spoke directly with a University of Alaska Fairbanks police officer and said he was going to Murphy Dome Road. He then left on foot toward Sheep Creek. He was carrying several gym-style bags and was dressed for cold weather in a tan hooded coat, winter bib overalls and black winter boots, but authorities specifically noted that he had no hat or gloves. He has not been confirmed seen or heard from since.

The Last Confirmed Sighting of Gregory Dewayne Smith

On the evening of October 22, 2019, Smith was near the Georgeson Botanical Garden on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus. At approximately 8:27 p.m., a campus police officer encountered him.

During that interaction, Smith reportedly told the officer that he was headed toward Murphy Dome Road. He then walked away in the direction of Sheep Creek. The officer’s encounter is significant because it provides investigators with a confirmed time, location and witness for Smith’s last known movements.

What Gregory Smith Was Wearing

Smith stood approximately 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighed about 165 pounds. He had brown hair and brown eyes.

When he disappeared, he was reportedly wearing a hooded tan Carhartt-style coat, tan winter bib overalls and black winter boots. Despite late-October conditions in Interior Alaska, the missing-person bulletin states that he did not have a hat or gloves. Smith was also carrying several gym-style bags when he walked away.

The Charley Project additionally reports that Smith may have had small burn scars on his forehead and may have worn eyeglasses.

Smith Was Not Reported Missing Immediately

Although Smith’s last confirmed sighting occurred October 22, the official missing-person report was not initiated until November 7, 2019.

University of Alaska Fairbanks Police records show that the Office of Public Advocacy requested the missing-person report at approximately 10:53 a.m. that day. The report documented Smith’s last known contact outside the botanical garden and his stated plan to travel toward Murphy Dome. Police also noted that Smith had no affiliation with the university.

The University of Alaska Fairbanks Police Department assigned the investigation case number UF19000812.

Alaska State Troopers Issued a Missing-Person Bulletin

On December 5, 2019, the Alaska Department of Public Safety issued an Alaska State Troopers missing-person bulletin concerning Smith.

The bulletin repeated the details of his October 22 encounter, his stated destination of Murphy Dome Road, his movement toward Sheep Creek and the clothing and bags he was carrying. It directed anyone with information to contact the University of Alaska Fairbanks Police Department and specifically reference incident UF19000812.

Smith’s disappearance was subsequently entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. His case is listed as NamUs MP67283.

Where Was Gregory Smith Going?

One of the central unanswered questions is why Smith planned to travel toward Murphy Dome Road.

The available public records do not identify a particular residence, person or destination that Smith intended to visit. They establish only that Smith told a police officer he was heading to Murphy Dome Road and then departed toward Sheep Creek.

Because the statement came directly from Smith during his final confirmed encounter, Murphy Dome Road and the direction of Sheep Creek remain important geographic elements in reconstructing his movements. However, there is no publicly documented confirmation that Smith actually reached Murphy Dome Road.

What Happened After Gregory Smith Walked Away?

Publicly available records provide very little information about what occurred after Smith left the botanical garden area.

There has been no publicly announced recovery of Smith and no publicly identified suspect or confirmed evidence of foul play in the sources reviewed for this article. His case continues to be presented as a missing-person investigation rather than a confirmed homicide. The Charley Project classifies him as endangered missing.

The limited amount of publicly released investigative information means several possibilities remain unresolved, including whether Smith continued toward Murphy Dome, changed direction, accepted transportation from someone, encountered an accident or ultimately traveled somewhere investigators have not been able to establish.

Those possibilities should not be confused with established facts; the public record does not currently explain what happened after his final encounter.

Latest Publicly Available Case Information

As of August 2026, no publicly released law-enforcement announcement located during a review of current sources reports that Gregory Smith has been found or that his disappearance has been solved.

Crime Solvers Central’s case record was updated on August 6, 2026 and continued to list Smith’s disappearance as open and unresolved, with the University of Alaska Fairbanks Police Department identified as the primary investigating agency.

A Websleuths case thread created in January 2024 also continues to identify Smith as missing and points readers to NamUs, the Alaska Department of Public Safety bulletin and the University of Alaska Fairbanks Police Department. No resolution is reported there.

Importantly, the absence of a newly published update does not mean investigators have stopped working the case. Law-enforcement agencies frequently withhold investigative information from public release. It means only that no substantive newer official development was located in publicly accessible material reviewed for this article.

Gregory Dewayne Smith Remains Missing

The clearest facts in Smith’s disappearance remain concentrated within a short window on October 22, 2019: he was alive on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus, spoke directly to a police officer, said he intended to go toward Murphy Dome Road and walked toward Sheep Creek carrying several bags.

What happened afterward remains unknown.

Anyone with information about Gregory Dewayne Smith’s movements on or after October 22, 2019—even information that may have seemed insignificant at the time—is asked to contact the University of Alaska Fairbanks Police Department and reference UF19000812.