Overview

Last seen: November 10, 2020
Location: Fairbanks, Alaska — near the Extended Stay America hotel in the Airport Road/Old Airport Way area
Age when missing: 34
Status: Missing; circumstances classified as suspicious by Alaska authorities
Alaska State Troopers case: AK20086592
NamUs: MP75666

Willis Edwin Derendoff, a 34-year-old Koyukon Athabascan man from Huslia, Alaska, disappeared while visiting Fairbanks in November 2020. He had recently completed seasonal work and was staying at an Extended Stay America hotel. His family was unable to reach him after November 10, and subsequent reported sightings were never confirmed.

Authorities initially handled Derendoff’s disappearance as a missing-person investigation, but by March 2021 the Alaska State Troopers publicly said they were investigating the case as a homicide. His remains have not been publicly reported as recovered, and no person has been publicly charged in connection with his disappearance. The most recent Alaska Department of Public Safety quarterly record located for this review continues to list Derendoff as missing and categorizes the circumstances as “Suspicious.”

Detailed Case Breakdown

Willis Edwin Derendoff Disappearance: The Unsolved 2020 Fairbanks, Alaska Case

Brief Case Summary

Last seen: November 10, 2020
Location: Fairbanks, Alaska — near the Extended Stay America hotel in the Airport Road/Old Airport Way area
Age when missing: 34
Status: Missing; circumstances classified as suspicious by Alaska authorities
Alaska State Troopers case: AK20086592
NamUs: MP75666

Willis Edwin Derendoff, a 34-year-old Koyukon Athabascan man from Huslia, Alaska, disappeared while visiting Fairbanks in November 2020. He had recently completed seasonal work and was staying at an Extended Stay America hotel. His family was unable to reach him after November 10, and subsequent reported sightings were never confirmed.

Authorities initially handled Derendoff’s disappearance as a missing-person investigation, but by March 2021 the Alaska State Troopers publicly said they were investigating the case as a homicide. His remains have not been publicly reported as recovered, and no person has been publicly charged in connection with his disappearance. The most recent Alaska Department of Public Safety quarterly record located for this review continues to list Derendoff as missing and categorizes the circumstances as “Suspicious.”

Willis Derendoff’s Trip From Huslia to Fairbanks

Willis Edwin Derendoff was born November 1, 1986, and was from Huslia, a village in Alaska’s Interior. Family members described him as a naturally talented musician who could play several instruments. In the fall of 2020, after finishing seasonal employment, Willis traveled from Huslia to Fairbanks for a vacation.

While in Fairbanks, Willis had a room at an Extended Stay America hotel near Airport Road, also described in records as being off Old Airport Way. His mother, Gladys Derendoff, later told Dateline that Willis was not feeling well and planned to take a COVID-19 test. His phone was broken, and he had also lost his identification and debit card. He reportedly intended to replace those items before returning home.

The Last Known Contact With Willis Derendoff

Official records give November 10, 2020 as Willis Derendoff’s date of last contact. NamUs lists him as missing from Fairbanks on that date, and Alaska Department of Public Safety records likewise identify November 10 as his last contact date.

Family members had been trying to see and communicate with Willis around this time. His sister Josephine later said that she and their father went to the hotel on November 9 but were unable to access his room. Hotel staff reportedly indicated that Willis had been there earlier. When relatives could no longer reach him, the disappearance was reported to authorities.

Early reports described several possible sightings of Willis around Fairbanks after he disappeared, but law enforcement and family members could not confirm those sightings. A November 2020 KTVF report stated that multiple sightings had been reported while the search was underway, but none had been verified.

Family and Community Launch Extensive Searches

Willis’s disappearance prompted a significant response from his relatives, members of the Huslia community and Fairbanks residents. Search parties covered areas around Fairbanks, including locations near his hotel and other areas associated with possible sightings.

Gladys Derendoff traveled from Huslia to Fairbanks and remained there for approximately eight months, according to information she provided to Dateline. She organized searches almost daily and used Facebook to bring together volunteers from both Fairbanks and Huslia. Donations helped cover lodging, rental vehicles, gasoline and other search expenses.

The family also hired a private investigator for several months, but no publicly reported breakthrough resulted. Community members later continued organizing wider searches for Willis and other people who had disappeared from the Fairbanks area.

Alaska State Troopers Begin Investigating the Case as a Homicide

By March 2021, the Alaska State Troopers had made a significant change in how they publicly described the case: investigators said Willis Derendoff’s disappearance was being investigated as a homicide.

Troopers told KTVF that they believed people in Fairbanks knew what had happened but were either afraid or unwilling to speak with investigators. Authorities said the area near Willis’s last known location had been searched extensively. Search resources included the Village Public Safety Officer Program, Wilderness Search and Rescue, search dogs and assistance connected with Missing and Murdered Indigenous People efforts.

Investigators also worked with Fairbanks Police and communicated with the FBI about investigative steps and information. Troopers emphasized that they could not publicly disclose everything investigators had learned because leads were still being followed. They also warned that rumors and statements that changed when witnesses were formally interviewed had complicated their work.

Rewards and the Search for Information

The original reward for information grew as businesses, tribal organizations, friends and relatives contributed money. By March 2021, KTVF reported a $7,500 reward associated with information leading to Willis’s whereabouts.

By 2023, Willis’s family told Dateline that roughly $12,000 remaining from donations was being offered as a reward for information that could help solve his case. The family has also maintained the Searching for Willis Derendoff Facebook group, where relatives, friends and supporters have continued sharing information and remembrance posts.

Were the Fairbanks Disappearances Connected?

Willis was one of several people, including Alaska Native residents and visitors, who disappeared in or around Fairbanks during a relatively short period beginning in 2020. The cases led to significant community concern and coordinated searches.

Authorities have said they had not established a connection among the unresolved cases. In 2022, Alaska State Troopers announced that investigators had received significant new information concerning one of four prominent 2020 Fairbanks-area missing-person cases, but officials specifically declined to identify which case the tip concerned. That development therefore should not be represented as a confirmed lead in Willis Derendoff’s investigation.

Latest Public Information on the Willis Derendoff Investigation

The newest Alaska Department of Public Safety quarterly record located during this review lists Willis Derendoff among Alaska’s missing Alaska Native and American Indian people as of September 30, 2025. His date of last contact remains November 10, 2020, the investigating agency is listed as DPS, and his circumstances are categorized as “Suspicious.”

Tanana Chiefs Conference also maintained an active missing-person listing for Willis that was updated in April 2025, identifying Fairbanks as his last known area and listing Alaska case number AK20086592.

In September 2025, Willis’s mother spoke during a Tanana Chiefs Conference event honoring missing and murdered Indigenous people. She said the continuing community support mattered to the family and expressed her belief that someone has information about her son’s disappearance.

As of this review in August 2026, I found no later public law-enforcement announcement identifying a suspect, announcing an arrest, reporting that Willis has been located, or declaring the case solved. The available official records therefore continue to support describing Willis Edwin Derendoff as missing under suspicious circumstances, while earlier statements from Alaska State Troopers establish that investigators have treated the disappearance as a suspected homicide.

Physical Description

Willis was 34 years old when he disappeared. Published descriptions place him between approximately 5 feet 7 inches and 5 feet 10 inches tall and around 160 pounds, with black or dark hair and brown eyes. He was reportedly wearing a black leather jacket and red fleece or sleeper-style pants and may have been wearing a Raiders beanie.

Identifying tattoos include the name “Traci” on the side of one hand, the initials “R.J.W.” between the thumb and forefinger of the other hand, and the phrase “sometimes quiet is violent” extending along a forearm.

The Case Remains Unresolved

More than five years after Willis Edwin Derendoff disappeared in Fairbanks, his whereabouts remain unknown in public records. His family has spent years searching, raising awareness and asking anyone with information to speak with investigators.

The distinction between what is known and what remains suspected is important: Willis is officially listed as a missing person whose circumstances are suspicious. Alaska State Troopers have publicly said they investigate his disappearance as a homicide, but without a publicly announced recovery, arrest or prosecution, crucial questions about what happened after his final known contact remain unanswered.