Missing Persons

The Juneau Police Department is responsible for assisting agencies in coordinating, investigating and responding to reporting parties on cases involving missing persons.

Anyone with information regarding a missing person is encouraged to contact the Juneau Police Department at (907) 586-0600.  If you want to remain anonymous, please submit tips through Juneau Crime Line.

The Missing Persons Clearinghouse (MPC) falls under the Alaska Bureau of Investigation (ABI) and tracks all missing persons cases reported within Alaska. The MPC serves as the central repository regarding both juvenile and adult victims and serves as a gateway into various national missing persons databases.  The U.S. Department of Justice maintains the ‘National Missing and Unidentified Persons System’, which includes a database for missing persons.  Their list may contain cases in the surrounding Juneau area that are Alaska State Trooper cases.

Missing Person information on this page is updated periodically. Cases may have been updated since the last website update. New missing person cases go through a reporting process and may not be available right away. If any information on this page is incorrect, please contact the Juneau Police Department at (907) 586-0600 and ask to speak with the Special Operations Lieutenant. 

You do not need to wait 24 hours before reporting a missing person.

  • If the individual is a vulnerable person, such as a child, developmentally disabled or elderly person, call 9-1-1.
  • If there are suspicious circumstances surrounding the disappearance of the individual, call 9-1-1.
  • For other cases, call the JPD non-emergency number at (907) 586-0600

List of Missing Persons

JPD Case Number: 2000-035381

Main photo of Richard  Wilson Wright  JR
 
 
 

Richard Wilson Wright JR

Date of Last Known Contact: 12/05/2000

Missing Age: 34

Current Age: 58

Gender: Male

Height: 5'10"

Weight: 210

Race/Ethnicity: American Indian / Alaska Native

Hair Color: Brown

Eye Color: Brown

Distinctive Physical Features:

Scar/mark - Scars on abdomen, right forearm, and knee.

Other Details:

Left home without conveying plans to his father, with whom he lives. Had no money or transportation. Has a history of not contacting family but only for a period of days. He was reported missing by his sister after no contact for three weeks.

What to do if a person goes missing?

  • Do not panic. They may have simply forgotten their phone, got caught up in some activity or plain forgot to check in.
  • Contact friends and family to ask if they have any knowledge of the missing person’s whereabouts.
  • Keep your phone within reach, make sure your ringer is on and the phone stays fully charged, in case they try to reach you.
  • Once you have sufficient reason to believe they are in fact missing, contact your local law enforcement agency to make a missing persons report.
  • If the missing person is vulnerable (i.e., under 18 years of age, over 65 years of age, suffering from physical or mental illness, depressed/suicidal, or the disappearance is completely out of character), report the disappearance to police immediately if your suspicions are aroused. It’s never too soon in these instances, and time may be of the essence. This could also include someone on life-saving medication who has not taken their medicine with them. You can contact police to ask for help in publicizing their story. Police will need details like the missing person’s photo, date of birth, address, physical description, clothing last seen wearing and other details of the life of your missing person. Make it a routine to take at least one head and shoulders photograph of your loved ones each year. Please be complete with the information you provide to law enforcement; it’s always better to have too much information, than not enough.
  • Keep in mind, police may request your assistance in getting bank records, social media account information and cell phone records for your missing person as well.  Down the line, police may ask for additional information like dental records and DNA samples.
  • Family reference DNA samples can also be taken. This is a non-invasive swab taken from the inside of the cheek of a potential donor. The DNA is entered into the CODIS DNA databank and can be cross-referenced with unidentified human remains samples that are also entered.
  • Canine search teams and pedestrian searches may also be an option to search for your loved one. First, let your local police department decide if they want to do this.
  • Do not panic.
  • Do not wait, especially if your missing person is vulnerable; notify police as soon as you think something is wrong.
  • Do not delay in searching; time can be of the essence.
  • Do not keep their disappearance a secret. The more people you tell, the more people you have looking on your behalf and the speedier the results might be.
  • Do not tidy up their bedroom or car until the police have seen it, whether it’s messy or not. Do not dust before fingerprints have been taken.
  • Do not alter social media accounts, cell phone messages, text messages, etc. These may be important indicators of your missing person’s motive or lack there of when they went missing.