Chucky Palmer

Status:

Open

Jurisdiction:

Alaska State Troopers (AK)

Missing From:

Talkeetna, Alaska

Summary:

Charles 'Chucky' Palmer Jr. (Charles Edwin Palmer V) disappeared on April 10, 2010, while snowmachining in the Talkeetna Mountains near Bald Mountain, Alaska. The 30-year-old became separated from his group and was never found, despite extensive search efforts. Tragically, his younger brother Michael had disappeared under similarly mysterious circumstances eleven years earlier in 1999.

Vital Statistics

Circumstances of Disappearance:

On April 10, 2010, Charles Palmer went on a snowmachining trip with his older brother Chris, their stepfather, and two friends to the Talkeetna Mountains west of Mastodon Road near Bald Mountain. The group planned to ride their snow machines to a cabin near Sheep Creek for the night. Because the handlebar on Charles's own snow machine had snapped that morning, he was driving a different machine he had recently purchased. Charles was riding at the back of the group and was not an experienced snow machine rider. Around 7:15 p.m., while heading back to the cabin on the main trail, Charles became separated from the others and rode off in the wrong direction. The other riders did not immediately realize he had fallen behind until they saw him traveling in the opposite direction from the cabin. Chris believed the older men were traveling too fast for Charles to keep up. Charles was dressed appropriately for cold weather but did not have a GPS device, food, or water. Friends found his snow machine first, but there was approximately a 12-hour delay before Alaska State Troopers were called. The snow machine was found stuck in deep snow approximately 12 miles from the cabin, off a side trail in waist-deep snow. Searchers found no footprints or other evidence that Charles had ever been near the area where his machine was discovered.

Additional Details:

Searchers found Charles's snow machine on Sunday morning, April 11, 2010, but no tracks or signs of Charles were found. More than 50 searchers combed the nearby woods during the initial search effort. Adverse weather conditions, including over 28 inches of new snow and high winds, severely hampered the search and put searchers into survival situations themselves. Alaska State Troopers called off the initial search Wednesday evening, April 14, 2010, after approximately five days. A massive second search was conducted in May 2010 once the snow melted, with over 40 searchers from Alaska Mountain Rescue and search and rescue dogs flown by helicopter to the area, spreading out 100 feet off the trail. Despite these extensive efforts, no trace of Charles was found. On April 12, 2011, a presumptive death hearing was held and the courts declared Palmer deceased due to exposure. However, Alaska State Troopers continued to classify the case as a missing persons case. Charles left behind three daughters: a 9-year-old and twin 10-year-olds. His mother, Lisa Rearick, and his father, Charles Palmer Sr., faced custody hearings regarding his daughters. Tragically, Charles's younger brother Michael had disappeared in 1999 at age 15 after leaving a graduation party in Wasilla, becoming the second Palmer brother to vanish under mysterious circumstances within eleven years.

Case Last Updated:

Nov 08, 2026