💛 A quick favor, if you've got a second.
We're really happy that you chose to read one of our stories and sincerely hope you'll stick around to read more. We took our paywall down — for now — but that won't last forever, and when the gate goes back up, we'd love for you to already be on the inside.
It's free. So please enter your email here and don't forget to like and follow us on all of your favorite Social Media platforms!
An anonymous confession has led authorities to solve a three-decade-old cold case in Alaska, resulting in the arrest of Christopher Popps, 54, of Michigan. Popps stands accused of fatally shooting his former co-worker, Patrick Orville Dearth, 34, in 1993 and concealing the body in a barrel near a remote highway north of Fairbanks.
Dearth disappeared in November 1993 and was reported missing to Fairbanks Police Department, leaving investigators with minimal leads for over 30 years. The case remained dormant until January 22, 2025, when Alaska State Troopers received an unsolicited tip from someone claiming responsibility for a 1993 murder in the Fairbanks region.
The Alaska Bureau of Investigation’s Cold Case Unit assumed control of the investigation but could not immediately search the area due to heavy snow coverage and limited daylight hours. Upon returning in May 2025, investigators discovered human remains inside a barrel on a steep embankment near Mile 47 of the Steese Highway, which the Alaska State Medical Examiner’s Office subsequently identified as Dearth, confirming a homicide.
Through their investigation, troopers traced the anonymous tips to Popps, who had made multiple confessions to different law enforcement agencies across Alaska. According to investigators, an altercation at an auto shop where both men worked culminated in Popps allegedly shooting Dearth.
A Fairbanks grand jury indicted Popps on two counts of second-degree murder on June 25, 2026, with an arrest warrant issued the same day. Michigan State Police apprehended him near Kalamazoo on July 16, and he remains incarcerated in Kalamazoo County pending extradition to Alaska.
As of the latest update, Popps has not retained legal representation in Alaska court records, and no hearings have been scheduled in the case.
More Stories
Packers Running Back Josh Jacobs Placed on NFL Commissioner’s Exempt List Following Domestic Arrest
Federal Prosecutors Convene Special Grand Jury to Investigate D.C. Schools’ Attendance and Graduation Practices
Denver Broncos Linebacker Jonathon Cooper Placed on Commissioner’s Exempt List Amid Domestic Violence Charges