Human remains awaiting identification and items reportedly belonging to a man reported missing in 2010 have been found near Dredge Lake in the Mendenhall Valley, the Juneau Police Department announced Wednesday.
The remains have not been positively identified. Identification is estimated to take about six months, according to a police news release.
A hiker located the remains at 11 a.m. Aug. 28. Police officers collected the remains, a cellphone and miscellaneous personal items.
The items belonged to Juneau resident Jeffrey “Scott” Walkenford, according to police. Walkenford was reported missing in the Dredge Lake area on May 15, 2010. A family member had contacted him on his cellphone to check on him, but he would not tell the family member where he was located, according to North American Missing Persons Network. That was his last known contact.
Family members found his car at Mendenhall River Community School parking lot before reporting him missing.
Extensive searches at the time failed.
In 2010, a donation account was established at Wells Fargo for Walkenford’s daughters, Kayla Walkenford and Brittany Walkenford, according the Juneau Empire. Funds from donations were expected to cover food, clothing and shelter for the youngest daughter and bills related to Walkenford’s disappearance.