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Missing Anchorage boater found dead near Whittier Harbor

Image courtesy of U.S. Coast Guard

The body of a missing Anchorage man was found Tuesday in waters near the Whittier Harbor. The Whittier Harbormaster reported Karl Stoltze, 53, overdue Saturday evening. Stoltze left the harbor earlier that day in a red 16-foot skiff to tend crab pots just north of the harbor.

According to the Anchorage Daily News, Stoltze, who liked to pull crab pots by hand, was trying to get crab for Easter dinner.

The U.S. Coast Guard dispatched one helicopter crew and two boat crews, which searched near the harbor and Passage Canal for about 35 hours, but the Coast Guard called off the search Sunday evening.

Two good Samaritan vessels also assisted with the search and found a cooler and other debris belonging to Stoltze. Winds on the scene were reported to be around 35 mph and seas were at 3 feet

The Whittier Harbor office says Stoltze was found tangled in a crab pot line by a group of volunteers searching the area Tuesday. Stoltze is the brother of Chugiak Senator Bill Stoltze who left office in 2015.

Aaron Bolton has moved on to a new position in Montana; he is no longer KBBI News Director. KBBI is currently seeking a News Director, and Kathleen Gustafson is filling in for the time being.
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