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On Aug. 30, 2020, Florence Okpealuk left behind her footwear, socks and a jacket in a miner’s tent. The Alaska lady has not been seen since.
Through the years, the Nome Police Division has enlisted the assistance of a number of businesses, together with the Alaska State Troopers and the FBI. The Nome Volunteer Hearth Division Search and Rescue Staff and the U.S. Coast Guard performed searches for Okpealuk. Involved residents additionally stepped in to assist. No hint of the 33-year-old has been discovered to this present day.
The younger mom is now the topic of a brand new episode of “Up and Vanished” titled “Within the Midnight Solar.” The podcast explores the instances of lacking individuals throughout the nation.
MISSING IN ALASKA: THE MYSTERY OF FLORENCE OKPEALUK
Okpealuk’s pal, Deilah Johnson, reached out to host Payne Lindsey in hopes he might assist increase consciousness concerning the younger mom’s case. He didn’t hesitate.
Florence Okpealuk, a 33-year-old mom residing in Nome, Alaska, was reported lacking by relations Aug. 31, 2020. (Blaire Okpealuk)
“I feel a spot like Nome is missing in so many various assets,” Lindsey informed Fox Information Digital. “It simply appeared like a case that we might doubtlessly assist by placing it again within the highlight. That’s what we’ve been attempting to do for the reason that starting.
“Nome creates a difficult atmosphere to resolve a really puzzling, lacking particular person’s case with little to go off of.”
Okpealuk was final seen leaving a tent on West Seashore. Based on experiences, gold miners are identified to camp within the space. One supply alleged he heard Okpealuk had headed there to occasion with a gold miner.
“There’s a normal narrative about Florence’s final steps,” Lindsey defined. “The night time that she went lacking, she was seen in West Seashore in that one particular person’s tent. So, we requested round in hopes of piecing all of it collectively. It appeared like she didn’t in any method, form, or kind simply stroll away or grow to be a sufferer of some tragic accident. All of it appeared to level in the direction of anyone or a number of individuals doubtlessly being liable for her disappearance.
The case of Florence Okpealuk is the topic of the podcast “Up and Vanished: Within the Midnight Solar.” (Beck Media & Advertising)
“Regardless of the way you slice it, the story goes just about a technique,” he continued. “She was with a specific particular person, and this particular person additionally had a few of her belongings. There’s no good cause or reply as to why he had these issues, why she was with him and the place she could have gone after that.”
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Okpealuk moved to Nome in 2013 whereas she was pregnant along with her daughter. On the time, she hoped to present her unborn youngster a greater life. Nome appeared to supply higher well being care and education in comparison with Wales, a local village 100 miles northwest of the town. She went on to get a job on the Norton Sound Well being Company.
Okpealuk’s older sister Blaire beforehand informed “Dateline” her sibling struggled with alcoholism. Johnson informed Fox Information Digital that no matter any challenges Okpealuk could have confronted personally, she would not depart her youngster behind.
“I perceive that one thing like this appears unreal, that this might occur in such a small group,” Johnson defined. “Everybody is aware of everybody. You see legislation enforcement in every single place as a result of they go to your church, they store on the similar grocery shops as you. It is a very related city. … So after I’ve spoken out about this case, I’ve had individuals inform me, ‘She in all probability took off. She simply needed to start out a brand new life.’ That was typical. However my response has at all times been the identical – no.
Payne Lindsey is the host of “Up and Vanished.” (Mike Pont/WireImage)
“She had a younger daughter that she would by no means, ever simply abandon,” Johnson shared. “Additionally, the one method out is basically with a Boeing 737. Until you could have a canine sled within the winter or if you happen to’re coming in from a cruise ship, there’s no different method of stepping into any form of present grid. In any other case, you’ll simply wander away and must stay off the tundra. It doesn’t make sense. It’s not possible.
“There are individuals who know what occurred.”
Johnson identified that Okpealuk is certainly one of hundreds of lacking indigenous ladies and ladies nationwide. Based on the Nationwide Crime Data Middle, there have been 5,712 experiences of lacking American Indian and Alaska Native ladies and ladies in 2016 – often known as lacking and murdered Indigenous ladies (MMIW).
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A 2016 research by the Nationwide Institute of Justice (NIJ) discovered that greater than 4 in 5 American Indian and Alaska Native ladies (84.3%) have skilled violence of their lifetime, together with 56.1% who’ve skilled sexual violence. Greater than 1.5 million American Indian and Alaska Native ladies have skilled violence of their lifetime.
Anybody with info in regards to the disappearance of Florence Okpealuk is inspired to name the Nome Police Division at 907-443-5262. Callers can stay nameless. (FBI)
The Bureau of Indian Affairs famous that, in accordance with researchers, ladies are sometimes misclassified as Hispanic or Asian. Because of this, experiences point out there isn’t any dependable rely of what number of Native ladies go lacking or are killed annually.
“The issue is large,” mentioned Johnson. “The extra you dig, the deeper and extra intricate the issue turns into. … This received’t go away. We have to create correct consciousness. … We’re simply seen as a decrease degree of society. … Folks simply assume ‘She simply ran away,’ or, ‘She was in all probability drunk.’ There’s an enormous disconnect. We don’t know who to belief. There must be extra accountability in Flo’s investigation, together with the various different ladies and ladies who want our assist.”
The panorama of Nome, Alaska, has created challenges discovering Florence Okpealuk. (ALAMY)
Lindsey described the way it was tough for some residents to return ahead and share any accounts they could have in hopes of discovering Okpealuk.
“After we began, it was fairly daunting,” he defined. “It nearly looks like an unattainable mission. It’s not straightforward for individuals to at all times open up and speak about one thing that was a traumatic expertise, and even individuals who could also be concerned in a roundabout way and are protecting of themselves. However, over time, dozens of individuals from the group got here ahead to assist piece collectively this story. … We wish to lay a brand new basis for the narrative. Hopefully, that pushes the best buttons.”
Based on the FBI, Florence Okpealuk is about 33 years outdated, 5-foot-2, has darkish brown hair and is about 130 kilos. (Nome Police Division)
Lindsey is hopeful that with the podcast episodes now out, somebody will come ahead with recent leads.
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“Our whole pursuit is the reality,” he mentioned. “Despite the fact that it looks like a chilly case, and it looks like all hope and life is misplaced, it’s by no means actually over. In quite a lot of methods, we’re simply getting began. We’re going to seek out out what occurred to Florence at some point.
“In a case like Florence’s, there are individuals locally who do know what occurred,” he shared. “Possibly they’re afraid to return ahead. Possibly they’d some kind of half in one thing. However I feel creating this stress and shining a light-weight on this case is what we have to do. We are able to’t let it get chilly. It might’t be a secret on this city ceaselessly. … And the extra individuals discuss, the extra it’s probably that the reality goes to return out. I’m very hopeful that, sooner or later, anyone will say the best factor and we’ll discover the lacking piece. After which all of the playing cards fall.”
Johnson praised Lindsey for his efforts in interviewing individuals who had been at first “terrified” to talk.
Payne Lindsey and Deilah Johnson are hopeful they’ll obtain new leads on Florence Okpealuk, left. (Blaire Okpealuk)
“It is a actually delicate matter in our group,” she mentioned. “We needed to be sure that Flo was honored the best method. … I feel the podcast has helped in beginning new conversations, permitting us to proceed with our work and heal. We wish solutions, and we wish to make a change.”
Johnson is simply as decided that her pal received’t be forgotten.
“She was human,” mentioned Johnson. “She was a younger mother who was cherished by lots of people. … We nonetheless haven’t any solutions to what occurred to her. There’s nonetheless no justice.”
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Based on the FBI, Okpealuk is roughly 5-foot-2 in peak, has darkish brown hair and is round 130 kilos. She was final seen in West Seashore. Anybody with info is inspired to name the Nome Police Division at 907-443-5262. Callers can stay nameless.
