Anonymous Tip Leads Alaska Troopers to Murder Charge in 1993 Fairbanks Disappearance, With Michigan Arrest Ending Decades-Old Cold Case
FAIRBANKS, AK — More than 30 years after Patrick Orville Dearth disappeared in Alaska, investigators say an anonymous confession helped crack the case and identify the man they believe killed him. Alaska State Troopers arrested Christopher Popps, 54, of Michigan, after tracing the tip to him, according to authorities. Troopers say Dearth, who was 34 when he vanished in November 1993, was shot during an altercation at an auto shop in Fairbanks. His remains were later found inside a barrel off a remote stretch of highway.
How The Case Broke Open
The key development came on Jan. 22, 2025, when troopers received an anonymous report from someone claiming responsibility for a murder in the Fairbanks area in 1993. The Alaska Bureau of Investigation’s Cold Case Investigation Unit took over, but winter conditions delayed an immediate search. Snow covered the area, and limited daylight made the remote location difficult to work. When investigators returned in May 2025, they searched near Mile 47 of the Steese Highway and found human remains inside a barrel down a steep embankment.
Victim Identified After Decades
The Alaska State Medical Examiner’s Office later identified the remains as Dearth and ruled the death a homicide. Dearth had been reported missing to the Fairbanks Police Department in 1993, but investigators say they had little to go on for years. The discovery turned a long-running missing persons case into a homicide investigation. Authorities have not said why the alleged confessions surfaced more than three decades after the killing, but they said Popps made multiple anonymous tips to different Alaska law enforcement agencies claiming responsibility.
Authorities Trace Suspect
Investigators say the anonymous tipster was eventually identified as Popps. According to Alaska State Troopers spokesperson Austin McDaniel, the investigation determined that Popps and Dearth had worked together in Fairbanks and that a fight at an auto shop preceded the shooting. Troopers say Popps then dumped Dearth’s body in a barrel off the highway. The case moved forward after the remains were recovered and matched to the missing man, allowing detectives to connect the old tip to a specific suspect and build their case further.
Charges And Next Steps
A Fairbanks grand jury indicted Popps on two counts of second-degree murder on June 25, 2026, and a warrant was issued that same day, according to court records. Michigan State Police arrested him near Kalamazoo on July 16, and he is now being held in Kalamazoo County while awaiting extradition to Alaska. As of Friday, no attorney was listed for Popps in Alaska court records, and no future hearings had been scheduled. Officials have not released additional details about what prompted the confession or what evidence most directly tied him to the killing.
