Overview

Last seen: September 22, 2015
Last known location: His residence near Birch Road and O’Malley Road in Anchorage, Alaska
Age: 38
Status: Missing; family later presumed he died from exposure
NamUs: MP34156
Anchorage Police case: 150038642

Kevin Lynn Mitchell disappeared after leaving his South Anchorage home on September 22, 2015. Days later, his pickup truck was discovered near mile 87.5 of the Seward Highway, south of Girdwood. An extensive multi-agency wilderness search failed to locate him. His remains have never been recovered.

Detailed Case Breakdown

Kevin Lynn Mitchell Missing Person Case: Anchorage, Alaska Disappearance in 2015

Brief Case Summary

Last seen: September 22, 2015
Last known location: His residence near Birch Road and O’Malley Road in Anchorage, Alaska
Age: 38
Status: Missing; family later presumed he died from exposure
NamUs: MP34156
Anchorage Police case: 150038642

Kevin Lynn Mitchell disappeared after leaving his South Anchorage home on September 22, 2015. Days later, his pickup truck was discovered near mile 87.5 of the Seward Highway, south of Girdwood. An extensive multi-agency wilderness search failed to locate him. His remains have never been recovered.

Kevin Lynn Mitchell Disappears From Anchorage

Kevin Lynn Mitchell was 38 years old when he vanished from Anchorage, Alaska, on Tuesday, September 22, 2015. He lived with his wife and two young daughters and worked as a Power Plant Superintendent for Municipal Light & Power. He was also an experienced outdoorsman whose interests included hiking, biking, kayaking, fishing, paragliding and exploring Alaska’s wilderness.

Conflicting Reports About the Time Kevin Was Last Seen

Public records differ on the exact time Kevin left his home near Birch Road and O’Malley Road. NamUs-derived records and some missing-person profiles report that he was last seen at approximately 7:00 a.m., while The Charley Project and later case summaries give a time of approximately 11:30 a.m. Because both times appear in established case sources, the precise last-seen time should be treated as uncertain unless clarified by investigators.

Personal Belongings Were Left Behind

Kevin was driving his gray 2012 Toyota Tundra, Alaska license plate GJA696, when he disappeared. According to published case information, he left his lunch, wallet, identification and credit cards behind at home. He did not subsequently contact his family. Those circumstances quickly raised concern among relatives, friends and coworkers, who began searching for him and circulating information about his disappearance.

Kevin Mitchell’s Truck Is Found Near the Seward Highway

A major development occurred on Saturday, September 26, 2015, when a friend located Kevin’s Toyota Tundra parked on a trail near mile 87.5 of the Seward Highway, south of Girdwood. Alaska State Troopers responded at approximately 9:39 a.m. Kevin was not with the vehicle.

Large Search Launched South of Girdwood

The abandoned truck shifted the search from Anchorage to the rugged terrain surrounding the Seward Highway. Alaska State Troopers, Alaska Wildlife Troopers, Anchorage Police, U.S. Forest Service law enforcement personnel, State Parks Rangers and Alaska Railroad Police participated. Search-and-rescue dog teams, the Alaska Mountain Rescue Group, family members, friends and volunteers also assisted.

Difficult Terrain Complicated the Search

Searchers confronted steep and dangerous wilderness surrounding the location where Kevin’s truck was found. Despite an extensive effort covering the surrounding area, authorities and volunteers found no confirmed trace of him. Contemporary reports said the organized search was suspended and subsequently resumed as volunteers and professional search teams continued looking in the area.

Another Man’s Body Was Found During the Search — but Was Unrelated

During the September 26 search, troopers discovered 41-year-old Joseph Melton dead inside a Chevrolet Tahoe parked out of sight from the highway. Authorities reported that no foul play was suspected in Melton’s death. The discovery occurred while authorities were searching for Kevin, but available reports do not indicate that Melton had any connection to Kevin’s disappearance.

Kevin’s Family Came to Believe He Died in the Wilderness

After the exhaustive search failed to locate Kevin, his family eventually concluded that he had probably died from exposure or hypothermia in the wilderness shortly after disappearing. A family memorial describes Kevin as presumed deceased on September 22, 2015, following the search near mile 87.5. This is the family’s conclusion and memorial account; publicly accessible missing-person records continue to identify Kevin as missing because his remains have never been recovered.

Kevin Mitchell Remains Officially Listed as Missing

Kevin continues to appear in Alaska’s public Missing Persons dataset under Anchorage Police Department case #150038642, with a reported date of September 22, 2015. His federal NamUs record is MP34156. These continuing listings are significant because there has been no confirmed recovery of Kevin’s remains.

Latest Publicly Available Case Information

As of August 2026, publicly accessible records reviewed for this article provide no confirmed announcement that Kevin has been located and no publicly reported arrest, suspect identification or new evidentiary breakthrough. Crime Solvers Central’s case record, shown as updated on August 6, 2026, continues to identify the Anchorage Police Department as the primary agency, lists case #150038642 and states that Kevin’s remains have never been found. Alaska’s current Missing Persons dataset also continues to include him.

The Investigation and Search for Answers

The evidence available publicly points toward the area surrounding mile 87.5 of the Seward Highway as the principal location associated with Kevin’s disappearance because that is where his truck was discovered. His family’s belief that he succumbed to the elements is consistent with the difficult terrain and the failure to find him during the original search, but without the recovery of his remains, the precise circumstances of his disappearance and death, if deceased, cannot be established from the public record.

Anyone With Information Can Still Contact Anchorage Police

Information relating to Kevin Lynn Mitchell’s disappearance should be provided directly to the Anchorage Police Department. APD currently maintains a Homicide/Missing Persons/Cold Case function within its Detective Division. The department’s main and non-emergency number is 907-786-8900, and its current directory lists the Homicide/Missing Persons/Cold Case supervisor at 907-786-8530. Call 911 only for an immediate emergency.