On 9-12-2011 at approximately 1029 hours, AST received a call from the McGrath Nurse Practitioner, that she just received a call from the Nikolai Health Clinic stating that a victim had drowned last night and is deceased. AST then contacted the Nikolai Health Aide, and she stated that Victim was brought into Nikolai this morning on a boat and she went down and identified and confirmed that the body was victim and that he was deceased. AST then spoke with Occupant1 who stated that he, Victim and Occupant2 were on a canoe last night in Outhouse Lake on the North Fork of the Kuskokwim River at approximately 2200 hours and the canoe tipped over. 
 
Occupant1 stated all three started yelling and then he and Occupant2 righted the canoe and bailed it out and then saw Victim in the water. Occupant1 stated that he and Occupant2 grabbed Victim and pulled him into the canoe and took him to the shore where they performed CPR but it was unsuccessful.  Occupant1 stated they then took Victim back to then camp at approximately 2300 hours, and at first daylight then returned to Nikolai with Victim. Occupant1 stated that he, Victim, and Occupant2 were all intoxicated that night. AST will be responding to Nikolai via chartered aircraft for investigation and transporting the body back to McGrath at which point it will be transported to the SME in Anchorage via commercial aircraft. Next of kin has not been notified yet pending the arrival of State Troopers in Nikolai.  Personal flotation devices were not reported to be worn by victim.

McGrath                       