Overview

Last seen: July 31, 2024
Location: Anchorage, Alaska
Age when missing: 19
Status: Missing; publicly available records continue to list the case as unresolved.
NamUs: MP135159
Anchorage Police case: 240024288

Main circumstances: Yan was a 19-year-old Chinese student in Anchorage on a visa when he disappeared. Public records provide very little information about his activities immediately before he vanished. No publicly confirmed homicide, suspect, arrest, or explanation for his disappearance was located. Alaska’s current missing-person data continues to carry his case under the Anchorage Police Department.

Detailed Case Breakdown

Haowan Yan Missing in Anchorage, Alaska: What Is Known About the 2024 Disappearance

Nineteen-year-old Haowan Yan disappeared from Anchorage, Alaska, in the summer of 2024. Public missing-person records state that Yan, a Chinese student who was in the United States on a visa, was last seen in Anchorage on July 31, 2024. He has remained the subject of an Anchorage Police Department missing-person case.

Haowan Yan Was Last Seen July 31, 2024

Publicly available information about the circumstances immediately surrounding Yan’s disappearance is unusually limited. CaseTrace, which directs readers to NamUs as its listed official source, states simply that Yan was last seen in Anchorage on July 31, 2024, and identifies him as a 19-year-old Chinese student in the country on a visa.

At the time he disappeared, Yan was approximately 5 feet 3 inches tall and 120 pounds. Other case information published from missing-person records describes him as an Asian male with black hair and brown eyes.

No more specific publicly verified last-seen address, intersection, business, school, or neighborhood was located in the records reviewed for this article.

Anchorage Police Opened a Missing-Person Investigation

The Anchorage Police Department is identified as the primary investigating agency. Alaska’s statewide missing-person dataset currently lists YAN, HAOWAN with Anchorage Police Department case number 240024288 and a missing date of July 31, 2024.

A secondary case database reproducing agency information reports an agency report date of August 7, 2024. Because the Alaska public dataset itself does not display that report date in the search result, the August 7 date should be regarded as secondary-source information rather than an independently confirmed investigative milestone.

Yan is also associated with NamUs missing-person case MP135159. CaseTrace and CrimeTea both currently identify the same NamUs number, and CrimeTea classifies Yan’s case as active.

What Happened to Haowan Yan?

The public record does not currently establish what happened after Yan was last seen.

No confirmed homicide, death, recovery of remains, arrest, criminal charge, or publicly identified suspect connected with his disappearance was located during this review. The case therefore should not be described as a homicide unless law enforcement releases information changing its classification.

Likewise, publicly accessible official records reviewed here do not establish whether Yan intentionally left, suffered an accident, encountered another person, or became the victim of a crime.

That absence of information is important. In a case with few publicly released facts, theories appearing in forums or social-media discussions should not be presented as established circumstances without corroboration from investigators or other reliable evidence.

Current Status of the Investigation

As of August 19, 2026, Yan continues to appear in the Alaska Department of Public Safety’s public missing-person data under Anchorage Police Department case 240024288. The statewide dataset is the strongest current public indication located during this research that his disappearance remains unresolved.

CrimeTea also currently labels the case Active, while CrimeSolvers Central lists Yan as missing and reports that its case page was last updated July 25, 2026. Those services are secondary resources rather than investigating agencies, but their current listings are consistent with the Alaska public record.

No newer public statement from Anchorage Police announcing that Yan has been located was found in the material reviewed. Anchorage Police explains that missing-person information can be reported through APD Dispatch, and the department maintains a dedicated Homicide/Missing Persons/Cold Case function within its Detective Division.

Why the Lack of Public Details Matters

More than two years after Yan disappeared, the basic publicly documented facts remain strikingly brief: a 19-year-old international student, Anchorage, July 31, 2024, and an active missing-person record.

There is no publicly verified detailed account explaining where Yan was going, who last communicated with him, whether surveillance footage established his movements, or what investigators believe occurred. Any such details should therefore be treated cautiously unless they can be traced to law enforcement records or another documented source.

The continued presence of Yan’s name in Alaska’s missing-person database means the central question remains unanswered: Where is Haowan Yan?

How to Provide Information

Anyone with information concerning Yan’s disappearance should direct it to law enforcement rather than posting investigative tips publicly.

Anchorage Police currently lists its main non-emergency number as 907-786-8900. Its Detective Division lists the Homicide/Missing Persons/Cold Case unit under Sergeant Jade Baker at 907-786-8530. APD also states that information regarding a missing person or suspicious activity may be reported by dialing 311 and selecting option 1; emergencies should be reported to 911.

Brief Case Summary

Last seen: July 31, 2024
Location: Anchorage, Alaska
Age when missing: 19
Status: Missing; publicly available records continue to list the case as unresolved.
NamUs: MP135159
Anchorage Police case: 240024288

Main circumstances: Yan was a 19-year-old Chinese student in Anchorage on a visa when he disappeared. Public records provide very little information about his activities immediately before he vanished. No publicly confirmed homicide, suspect, arrest, or explanation for his disappearance was located. Alaska’s current missing-person data continues to carry his case under the Anchorage Police Department.