It’s been nearly two weeks since 42-year-old Juneau resident Benjamin “Benny” Stepetin was last seen by his family in downtown Juneau.
His brother, former Juneau School Board member Martin Stepetin Sr., said he last spoke to him over the phone on June 17.
“I really hope that wasn’t the last phone call I had with him,” he said.
On Thursday morning, Martin and his other brother, Carl Stepetin Sr., sipped coffee in his apartment as they prepared to take a skiff out on Gastineau Channel to look for their missing brother. A candle burns next to Benjamin’s missing person poster nearby.
“It’s been about 11 days now, which is hard to say. It still feels like it’s the first day,” Martin said. “That’s way unusual — that’s not normal at all.”
Benjamin is Alaska Native, about 5 feet, 6 inches tall and has brown eyes. He’s well-known in the downtown area and has been homeless for roughly two years. Martin said Benjamin became homeless again after two years of sobriety.
On Monday, the Juneau Police Department shared a Facebook post that asked the public to help locate Benjamin. Department spokesperson Erann Kalwara said a detective has been assigned to investigate the case and police are working to track down any leads.
Benjamin is listed on the Alaska Bureau of Investigation’s missing persons clearinghouse page and a Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons investigator with the state’s Department of Public Safety is assisting in the search.
Martin said his family and more than a dozen volunteers have spent multiple days looking for Benjamin all across town and had 500 missing person posters printed to put up around town. So far, they’ve only heard rumors.
“We’re going off a bunch of hearsay, but it doesn’t matter what we hear, how crazy or ridiculous it sounds,” he said. “We’ve been following up every single tip.”
Benjamin’s disappearance coincides with another missing person case in Juneau this week. Search and rescue responders are also actively searching for a cruise ship passenger who has not been seen since leaving for a hike Tuesday morning. As of Thursday afternoon, she’s still missing.
Martin said he’s grateful that JPD has assigned a detective to the case, but he still thinks there aren’t enough resources in Juneau to ensure the search for his brother is getting enough help. His family worries they may now be looking for his remains.
“I don’t want this to happen to anybody ever, but if it does, I hope that they have a better way of getting through it than we did,” he said. “We’re kind of on our own.”
He said he also thinks the stigma and association with homelessness mean this search is not being taken as seriously as others.
“He’s got two kids, and he’s got three siblings. He’s a good man. He’s a good guy, a happy person,” Martin said. “Benny’s a fisherman, a really good basketball player — and he’s missing.”
Police and family encourage anyone with information about Benjamin’s whereabouts to contact the department.
