Alaska State Troopers say a Selawik snowmachiner last seen leaving Tuesday to cut firewood was found dead the next day near the Kiana Trail, after a brief search-and-rescue effort. According to a Friday AST dispatch, 61-year-old Clayton Griest left the community at about 1 p.m. Tuesday. Search and rescue efforts initiated by his family members at about midnight Wednesday were joined by Selawik Search and Rescue volunteers. “At (8 a.m.), the SAR team found Griest deceased approximately 11 miles northwest of Selawik in a wood cutting area off the Kiana Trail,” troopers wrote. “Initial investigation indicates Griest's death was the result of natural causes. Next of kin has been notified.” Griest’s body was sent to the state medical examiner’s office in Anchorage for an autopsy. The news comes more than nine months after the disappearance of another Selawik snowmachiner, who has yet to be found. Clifford Griest, 32, was last seen May 15 riding a Polaris IQ snowmachine with 23-year-old Shallain Adams from Kotzebue to Selawik. An extensive search effort failed to find them, but remains found July 4 on the coast near Point Hope were subsequently identified as Adams. AST spokesperson Megan Peters wasn't sure Friday if the two men were related, but emphasizes that Wednesday's discovery isn't considered suspicious.
"There's no foul play or anything like that," Peters said. "We didn't know about the search until they found him."