A body discovered washed up on a beach near Nome on Aug. 22 has been identified as that of a man who went missing at sea nearly three months earlier off the coast of Nunivak Island, hundreds of miles to the south.
According to the Alaska State Troopers, the state medical examiner’s office has identified the body as 72-year-old Samuel Shavings, one of three men aboard an ocean skiff that sank in rough waters near the community of Mekoryuk on May 26.
One passenger aboard the Ocean Pro skiff was able to swim to shore and survived. The body of another passenger, 65-year-old Albert Williams, was recovered in the area days later. The search for Shavings was suspended following extensive efforts by boat and air.
On Aug. 22, Shavings’ body was discovered by beachcombers just outside of Nome, nearly 300 miles from where he was first reported missing.
Shavings’ next of kin have been notified.
