Overview

More than thirteen years after retired Anchorage physician Wallace Wilkinson Dunn vanished while apparently traveling toward his cabin near Big Lake, Alaska, his disappearance remains unresolved. Dunn was 81 years old when he disappeared in July 2013, leaving behind an abandoned pickup truck, an intensive multi-agency search and a possible sighting that extended the investigation toward Denali National Park.

Dunn, commonly known as Wally, was a longtime physician who had practiced in the Anchorage area before retiring. He reportedly spent winters in Texas and summers in Alaska and remained in frequent contact with his daughter. According to The Charley Project, his family considered his sudden disappearance highly uncharacteristic. At the time, Dunn was experiencing some memory difficulties and early signs associated with Alzheimer’s disease, including occasional problems with driving directions.

Detailed Case Breakdown

The Disappearance of Wallace Wilkinson Dunn: Retired Anchorage Doctor Missing Since 2013

More than thirteen years after retired Anchorage physician Wallace Wilkinson Dunn vanished while apparently traveling toward his cabin near Big Lake, Alaska, his disappearance remains unresolved. Dunn was 81 years old when he disappeared in July 2013, leaving behind an abandoned pickup truck, an intensive multi-agency search and a possible sighting that extended the investigation toward Denali National Park.

Dunn, commonly known as Wally, was a longtime physician who had practiced in the Anchorage area before retiring. He reportedly spent winters in Texas and summers in Alaska and remained in frequent contact with his daughter. According to The Charley Project, his family considered his sudden disappearance highly uncharacteristic. At the time, Dunn was experiencing some memory difficulties and early signs associated with Alzheimer’s disease, including occasional problems with driving directions.

Wallace Dunn’s Last Known Movements

There is a slight discrepancy among surviving records concerning Dunn’s exact last-confirmed date.

Alaska’s current statewide missing-person dataset records his date of last contact as July 11, 2013. Contemporary reporting from the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman also stated that Dunn had been seen at a game near Waldon Lake on July 11.

Other case records place his final confirmed sighting on July 12, 2013. The Charley Project states that Dunn was last seen in Anchorage at approximately 11:00 a.m. on July 12, while a later Alaska Public Media report quoted his daughter Kim as saying he was positively identified after a game at the tennis club he attended that day.

What appears consistent across the available accounts is that Dunn intended to spend the weekend at his cabin in the Big Lake area, north of Anchorage. His family initially believed he may simply have traveled there without immediately contacting anyone.

He never arrived in the manner his family expected.

Wallace Dunn’s Truck Found Near Big Lake

The investigation changed dramatically when Dunn’s gray 1998 Ford F-150 was discovered at the end of Susitna Parkway near Big Lake.

Contemporary reports state that the truck was found on July 17, 2013, parked and locked several miles from his cabin. Witness information later indicated that the vehicle may have been sitting there as early as approximately 2:00 p.m. on July 12, only a few hours after one reported final sighting of Dunn in Anchorage.

Several possessions remained with the truck. The Charley Project reports that Dunn’s shotgun was inside, along with spoiled food, while a chainsaw and generator were still in the open truck bed. Nothing publicly documented from the vehicle has established where Dunn went after leaving it.

The location prompted an extensive search of the surrounding Big Lake area.

Alaska State Troopers, Anchorage Police and search-and-rescue personnel participated. Search dogs were deployed, trails were checked and aerial searching was conducted using a helicopter. Despite those efforts, investigators found no confirmed trace of Dunn.

The intensive Big Lake search was suspended on July 19 after authorities exhausted the available search areas without developing another local clue. Police emphasized that searches could resume if new information identified another location requiring examination.

Possible Montana Creek and Denali Sighting

Investigators soon received a lead that dramatically expanded the potential area in which Dunn could have traveled.

A man matching Dunn’s description was reportedly seen near the Montana Creek Campground on July 13, 2013. The individual reportedly expressed a desire to walk or hitchhike toward Denali National Park.

Dunn’s daughter described the Montana Creek report at the time as the best lead investigators had received, although she emphasized that the sighting had not been confirmed. Alaska State Troopers distributed law-enforcement alerts, and missing-person posters were placed as far north as Healy in hopes that someone could identify Dunn or provide additional information about his movements.

No publicly documented evidence has established that the Montana Creek witness actually saw Dunn. Nevertheless, the report remains important because, if accurate, it would mean Dunn traveled considerably farther north after leaving his truck near Big Lake.

Medical Concerns Increased the Urgency

Dunn was described as generally healthy and capable of living independently, but his family reported increasing memory difficulties. His walking style was also distinctive: case descriptions say he moved with a slow, shuffling or tentative gait.

Those factors raised concerns about his ability to navigate unfamiliar areas, particularly if he became disoriented after leaving his vehicle.

At the time he disappeared, Dunn was approximately 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighed around 165 pounds. He was described as a white man with white hair, blue eyes and, at the time, a gray mustache and beard. His typical clothing included a hat, jeans and either sneakers or black boots, although investigators never established exactly what he was wearing when he vanished.

Latest Status of the Wallace Dunn Investigation

Wallace Dunn has not been removed from Alaska’s active missing-person records. The Alaska Department of Public Safety’s current statewide missing-person dataset continues to list DUNN, WALLACE, Anchorage Police Department case 130030719, with a last-contact date of July 11, 2013. His NamUs record also remains publicly available as MP21123.

The Anchorage Police Department currently maintains a Homicide/Missing Persons/Cold Case section within its Detective Division, and APD remains the investigating agency identified in Dunn’s case information.

No credible public announcement located through August 14, 2026 identifies Dunn’s remains, declares him the victim of a homicide or provides a definitive explanation for his disappearance. His case therefore should not be described as a confirmed homicide.

There has also been no publicly announced recent breakthrough explaining what occurred after Dunn apparently left his truck. The strongest publicly documented possibilities remain centered on the Big Lake area and the unconfirmed report of a man resembling Dunn near Montana Creek who allegedly wanted to continue north toward Denali.

The absence of a publicly announced development does not mean investigative work has formally ended. His continued inclusion in Alaska’s active missing-person records and NamUs means the disappearance remains unresolved and information can still be submitted to law enforcement.

Anyone with credible information concerning Wallace Wilkinson Dunn, his movements on July 12 or July 13, 2013, his abandoned Ford F-150, or the reported Montana Creek sighting should provide that information directly to the Anchorage Police Department rather than attempting to investigate potential locations or individuals independently.