Michael Palmer

Status:

Open

Jurisdiction:

Alaska State Troopers (AK)

Missing From:

Wasilla, Alaska

Summary:

Michael Timothy Palmer, age 15, disappeared on June 4, 1999, while riding his bicycle home from a graduation party near Wasilla, Alaska. His bike was found in the Little Susitna River and his shoes discovered nearby on a private airstrip, but Michael was never located. He was declared legally dead in April 2011; the case remains unsolved.

Vital Statistics

Circumstances of Disappearance:

Michael spent the night at a friend's home in Wasilla, Alaska on June 4, 1999. The night, he slipped out of the house and attended a graduation party with three friends near the Meadow Lake subdivision outside of Wasilla. He was last seen riding a bicycle down Pittman Road in the direction of his family's residence at approximately 4:00 a.m. His residence was approximately nine miles from the location of the party. His friends had been riding with him but he fell behind them. His mother reported him missing at 3:00 p.m. that day, eleven hours after he was last seen. Michael's bicycle was found in the Little Sustina River; his wet, silty shoes were located about 200 yards away from the river in the middle of a private air strip.

Additional Details:

Divers searched the river and the nearby wooded area, but found nothing. Divers searched the Little Su, about 50 searchers combed the nearby woods, and troopers interviewed teenagers who had been at the party. A pair of wet shoes, the same size and brand Michael wore, was found less than a mile from where he was last seen, but other than that no trace of the youngest brother was ever found. A local youth claimed he witnessed Michael being beaten and shot on a bridge, but later the young man admitted he had made up the story. He is presumed to have perished of exposure, and was declared legally dead in April 2011. The first, a woman, left town after she was threatened, he said. Before Palmer ran out of money, he said, the second investigator, a man, found out that Mike might never have left the party. Mike Palmer's case remains open and active, though law enforcement hasn't had any substantial leads in many years. Authorities have also stated that all of the persons of interest identified during the course of their investigation have been cleared of any suspicion. Michael's older brother, Charles "Chucky" Palmer V, disappeared near Talkeetna, Alaska in April 2010, almost eleven years after Michael vanished. He is presumed to have perished of exposure, and was declared legally dead in April 2011.

Case Last Updated:

Nov 08, 2026