Overview

Last seen: January 26, 2023
Location: Seward, Alaska
Age when missing: 19
Status: Missing
Investigating agency: Seward Police Department
Police case: 23-0093
NamUs case: 106680

Thomas Ooka was 19 years old when he disappeared from Seward, Alaska, in January 2023. Authorities say his last confirmed sighting occurred when he was released from the Seward Community Jail. His phone and wallet were later located inside an RV where he had previously been staying on a family member’s property.

His direction of travel and clothing at the time he disappeared remain unknown. An Alaska State Troopers bulletin continues to direct anyone with information to the Seward Police Department.

Detailed Case Breakdown

Thomas Ooka Missing Person Case: Disappearance from Seward, Alaska

Brief Case Summary

Last seen: January 26, 2023
Location: Seward, Alaska
Age when missing: 19
Status: Missing
Investigating agency: Seward Police Department
Police case: 23-0093
NamUs case: 106680

Thomas Ooka was 19 years old when he disappeared from Seward, Alaska, in January 2023. Authorities say his last confirmed sighting occurred when he was released from the Seward Community Jail. His phone and wallet were later located inside an RV where he had previously been staying on a family member’s property.

His direction of travel and clothing at the time he disappeared remain unknown. An Alaska State Troopers bulletin continues to direct anyone with information to the Seward Police Department.

Thomas Ooka Disappears After Leaving Seward Community Jail

Thomas Ooka was a 19-year-old Alaska Native man from the Seward area when he vanished in January 2023. Born May 11, 2003, Ooka was described by authorities as approximately 5 feet 2 inches tall and 145 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. Identifying features include scars on his forehead and beneath his right eye.

According to an Alaska State Troopers missing-person bulletin, Ooka was last seen in Seward on January 26, 2023, when he was released from the Seward Community Jail.

What happened after his release remains unclear.

Personal Belongings Found in an RV

Investigators learned that Ooka had previously been staying in an RV located on a family member’s property. His wallet and cell phone were subsequently found inside the RV, according to the Alaska State Troopers bulletin.

The discovery is significant because two possessions that could normally help establish a person’s movements or provide a means of communication were apparently left behind.

Authorities have not publicly provided a confirmed description of what Ooka was wearing when he disappeared. His direction of travel after leaving the jail is also officially listed as unknown.

A CaseTrace listing sourced to NamUs provides an additional circumstance, stating that Ooka departed on foot without shoes during a blizzard. That detail does not appear in the Alaska State Troopers public bulletin, so it should be attributed to that secondary case listing rather than treated as a detail independently confirmed in the state bulletin.

A Young Athlete from Seward

Public records from before his disappearance provide a glimpse of Ooka’s life in Seward.

Ooka attended Seward High School and participated in athletics, including football and wrestling. Local sports coverage documented him competing for the Seward Seahawks. In December 2019, while a junior, he won the Kachemak Conference wrestling championship at 145 pounds.

Those records place Ooka firmly within the Seward community years before he became the subject of a missing-person investigation.

Missing Person Bulletin Issued in May 2023

On May 4, 2023, an Alaska State Troopers missing-person bulletin was issued for Ooka.

The bulletin asked anyone who had contact with Ooka or possessed information about his disappearance to contact the Seward Police Department and reference case 23-0093.

The case was later entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. A current CaseTrace listing sourced to NamUs identifies his case as 106680.

Latest Publicly Available Case Information

Thomas Ooka has not been publicly reported as located in the sources reviewed for this article.

The most recent Alaska Department of Public Safety missing-person data located during this review continues to include Thomas Ooka of Seward among Alaska’s missing. A state report published online in 2026 lists Seward Police Department as the responsible agency and categorizes the circumstances as “Not Suspicious.”

There is an important discrepancy in Alaska’s published records. The original Alaska State Troopers bulletin identifies January 26, 2023 as the date Ooka was last seen. A later state missing-person list gives January 29, 2023 as the date of last contact, while another Alaska Native/American Indian missing-person report lists January 26, 2023. The original case bulletin, Charley Project listing, and CaseTrace/NamUs-sourced listing all use January 26.

Because of that conflict, January 26, 2023 remains the best-supported publicly documented last-seen date, while the January 29 entry should be regarded as a discrepancy in the state’s later reporting unless investigators clarify it.

No publicly available source located during this review announces an arrest, identifies a suspect, states that Ooka was the victim of homicide, or indicates that human remains connected to him have been recovered. The publicly available information therefore supports describing this as an active unresolved missing-person case, not a homicide case.

What Remains Unknown

More than three years after Ooka disappeared, fundamental questions remain unanswered publicly.

It is unclear where he went after his release from the Seward Community Jail, how or when his wallet and phone came to be left in the RV, and whether anyone encountered him after his last confirmed sighting.

Authorities have not publicly identified a confirmed destination, last-known clothing description, or direction of travel.

The continued absence of those details makes information from anyone who saw or communicated with Ooka around the time of his disappearance potentially significant.

How to Provide Information

Anyone with information concerning Thomas Ooka’s disappearance should contact the Seward Police Department at 907-224-3338 and reference case 23-0093.

Information that could identify Ooka’s movements after leaving the Seward Community Jail, establish where he intended to go, or document contact with him around the time of his disappearance should be provided directly to investigators rather than posted publicly.