Overview

Last Known Date: October 12, 2025
Last Known Location: Kwigillingok, Alaska
Age When Missing: 71
NamUs: MP151774
Alaska State Troopers Case: AK25103717
Status: Missing

Vernon Pavil, a 71-year-old Alaska Native man from Kwigillingok, disappeared on October 12, 2025, as the remnants of Typhoon Halong brought destructive winds, flooding and storm surge to western Alaska. Pavil was reportedly inside a home with relatives Ella Mae Kashatok and Chester Kashatok when rising floodwaters and powerful winds swept the house from its foundation.

Ella Mae Kashatok was found deceased following the storm. Chester Kashatok remained missing for approximately eight months before his remains were recovered near Kwigillingok in June 2026. Pavil has not been found.

Detailed Case Breakdown

Vernon Pavil Missing After Typhoon Halong in Kwigillingok, Alaska

Brief Case Summary

Last Known Date: October 12, 2025
Last Known Location: Kwigillingok, Alaska
Age When Missing: 71
NamUs: MP151774
Alaska State Troopers Case: AK25103717
Status: Missing

Vernon Pavil, a 71-year-old Alaska Native man from Kwigillingok, disappeared on October 12, 2025, as the remnants of Typhoon Halong brought destructive winds, flooding and storm surge to western Alaska. Pavil was reportedly inside a home with relatives Ella Mae Kashatok and Chester Kashatok when rising floodwaters and powerful winds swept the house from its foundation.

Ella Mae Kashatok was found deceased following the storm. Chester Kashatok remained missing for approximately eight months before his remains were recovered near Kwigillingok in June 2026. Pavil has not been found.

Vernon Pavil Disappears During Devastating Western Alaska Storm

Vernon Pavil was among the residents caught in a catastrophic storm that struck western Alaska on October 12, 2025. The remnants of Typhoon Halong produced extreme coastal flooding and powerful winds that devastated communities along the Bering Sea, particularly Kwigillingok and Kipnuk.

Kwigillingok was hit especially hard. Homes were lifted from their foundations and carried across flooded land and waterways. Pavil was in a home with his relatives Ella Mae Kashatok and Chester Kashatok when rising water and strong winds reportedly swept the structure from its foundation.

Three Family Members Were Inside the Home

The disaster quickly became a tragedy for one Kwigillingok family.

Vernon Pavil, Chester Kashatok and Ella Mae Kashatok were together inside the same home on the morning of October 12 when floodwaters and winds carried it away. In the aftermath, all three were initially unaccounted for.

Ella Mae Kashatok, 67, was subsequently located deceased. Authorities then identified Pavil and Chester Kashatok as the two remaining missing residents of Kwigillingok.

The circumstances surrounding Pavil’s disappearance are classified in Alaska’s Missing Alaska Natives and American Indians records as environmental, consistent with his disappearance during the catastrophic storm rather than a publicly identified criminal event.

Search for Vernon Pavil and Chester Kashatok

An extensive multi-agency search followed the disaster.

Searchers used drones, boats and aircraft in an effort involving the Alaska State Troopers, U.S. Coast Guard, Alaska Army National Guard and Alaska Air National Guard. At least 51 people and two dogs were rescued from the affected communities during the broader emergency response.

On October 14, authorities announced that the active search-and-rescue operation would end after what Alaska State Troopers described as an extensive search.

That decision did not mean everyone stopped looking. Local village public safety officers and search-and-rescue volunteers continued searching for Pavil and Kashatok in the weeks that followed.

Chester Kashatok’s Remains Found in 2026

A major development came approximately eight months after the storm.

On June 16, 2026, a local resident found human remains near Kwigillingok. According to reporting citing Alaska State Troopers, Chester Kashatok’s remains were located in the Kwigillingok River roughly one mile outside the community.

The remains were sent to the Alaska State Medical Examiner’s Office and positively identified as Chester Kashatok. Alaska State Troopers formally announced the identification in a June 30 update.

The discovery left Vernon Pavil as the family member who remained missing.

Latest Information in Vernon Pavil’s Case

As of the latest publicly available reporting located for this summary, Vernon Pavil remains missing.

The Alaska State Troopers’ June 30, 2026 update confirmed that Chester Kashatok had been identified but that the other missing man from the case remained unaccounted for. Subsequent July 2026 reporting continued to identify Pavil as missing.

The discovery of Kashatok approximately a mile outside Kwigillingok demonstrates how debris and people from the disaster could be carried away from the immediate area where the house disappeared. However, authorities have not publicly announced the discovery of Pavil’s remains or another confirmed resolution of his case.

NamUs lists Pavil under MP151774, while the Alaska State Troopers investigation is associated with AK25103717.

Pavil is described in case information as an Alaska Native/American Indian man, approximately 5 feet 4 inches tall and 170 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. His date of birth is listed as June 30, 1954.

What Happened to Vernon Pavil?

Based on publicly released information, Pavil’s disappearance is associated with the destruction caused by Typhoon Halong rather than a publicly identified homicide or other criminal act.

The known circumstances place him inside a home with Ella Mae Kashatok and Chester Kashatok when severe flooding and winds swept the structure away. Kashatok’s remains were eventually recovered from the Kwigillingok River, while Ella Mae Kashatok was found deceased shortly after the storm. Pavil has never been located.

Nearly a year after the disaster, the disappearance of Vernon Pavil remains one of the unresolved human losses from the devastating October 2025 western Alaska storm.