The parents of a 20-year-old man whose body was found in Bethel in November 2023 under suspicious circumstances are suing the City of Bethel for alleged negligence, discrimination, and emotional distress.
Twenty-year-old Michael Isaac was first reported missing on Nov. 2, 2023. Isaac arrived in Bethel from the lower Yukon River community of Marshall the previous day and had only planned to stay in Bethel for one night. Following a month-long search effort, his body was located under the ice in a slough on the east end of town by Bethel Search and Rescue (BSAR) volunteers using an underwater sonar device.
According to a civil complaint filed Oct. 21 in Bethel court, the City of Bethel and Bethel Police Department allegedly caused Isaac’s parents severe emotional distress with their handling of the case.
The complaint asserts that the lead investigator assigned to the case, Dylan Floyd, and former Bethel Police Chief Leonard Hicks failed to take potential leads provided by Isaac’s parents seriously, including ignoring phone calls and treating Isaac’s parents disrespectfully. The complaint says information that was ignored includes an abundance of evidence amassed by Isaac’s parents pointing to two potential suspects in their son’s death.
According to the complaint, multiple requests by Isaac’s parents to the Bethel Police Department to have their son’s case referred to the Alaska State Troopers have been unsuccessful. Requests to the department to work with a federal Indigenous missing persons resource group were also unsuccessful.
Isacc’s parents are requesting damages in excess of $100,000. They are being represented by Palmer-based attorney Deborah Burlinski. An initial hearing in the case had not been set as of Monday, Oct. 27.
According to the Bethel Police Department, the investigation into Isaac’s death remains open.
Reached on Oct. 27, Isaac’s parents declined to comment on the suit. The City of Bethel, through legal representation, also declined to comment.
