Christopher Popps, 54, faces charges of second-degree murder in the death of Patrick Dearth, Alaska state police said in a statement. Dearth, 34, was reported missing in Fairbanks in November 1993. His whereabouts remained unknown until an anonymous tipster called authorities in January 2025, taking responsibility for Dearth's disappearance and disclosing where the victim's remains were, the statement said.
Tipster identified and remains found
Investigators determined the tipster was Popps. In May 2025, they found Dearth's remains in a barrel at the bottom of a steep highway embankment, where Popps had allegedly directed them, state police said. Alaska Public Media, citing state police spokesperson Austin McDaniel, reported that Popps and Dearth had been colleagues at an auto shop. McDaniel said Popps allegedly shot Dearth to death during an altercation at their workplace.
Multiple tips and delayed search
McDaniel told Alaska Public Media that Popps appeared to have provided multiple anonymous tips about Dearth and his responsibility for the disappearance to law enforcement agencies. The motivation for Popps to do that was not immediately clear. Investigators waited about four months to search for Dearth's body because the area was covered in snow at the time of the January 2025 tip, and daylight was scarce, McDaniel said.
Indictment and arrest
Court records show Alaska's office of special prosecutions obtained an indictment from a Fairbanks grand jury charging Popps with Dearth's murder on 25 June. Popps was listed as a resident of Battle Creek, Michigan, at the time. Michigan state police arrested Popps on 16 July, booking him into the Kalamazoo county jail. He remained held without bond, with transfer to Alaska custody pending. Under Alaska law, Popps could receive between 10 and 99 years in prison if convicted of second-degree murder. Alaska state police said they had notified Dearth's family of the arrest.
