William Buzz Fred Matthews, 81, was last seen on May 24, 1997, when he and companion Norman Paul left Ketchikan, Alaska, aboard an 18-foot blue and white vessel named the Delight. A cooler identified as belonging to the two men washed up about 10 miles southwest of Sitka between St. Lazaria and Biorka Island on May 25, prompting searches for the men and their boat. Norman Paul’s body was recovered that evening, confirming the vessel encountered trouble, but neither Matthews nor the Delight were ever found despite numerous searches of Sitka Sound and the coastline.

Investigators concluded the skiff sank in Sitka Sound. No further wreckage or remains of Matthews or the boat have been recovered, leaving the circumstances of his disappearance and his final resting place unresolved. If anyone knew William Matthews, his movements that late May 1997, or saw debris from a small blue and white skiff in Sitka Sound, please share what is known.