Body found near Thunder Bird Falls Trail identified as 32-year-old man, Anchorage police say

Update, 5:45 p.m. March 12: Anchorage police on Thursday identified the man found dead as David C. Gauvreau, 32. Next of kin have been notified.

“While the exact cause of death is still under investigation, it is not believed to be criminal in nature,” police said in an alert.

Original story:

A group of hikers found a man’s body Friday evening near the Thunder Bird Falls Trail, according to Anchorage police.

The man’s death is considered suspicious and homicide detectives are involved in the investigation, police said in an alert. However, as of Friday night officials had not determined how the man died.

Police said patrol officers responded to the scene around 6 p.m. after dispatchers were called by a group of hikers who said they were walking on the trail and “discovered what appeared to be a deceased person.”

The trail was closed while police conducted their investigation but reopened shortly before noon Saturday, according to Chugach State Parks chief ranger Ben Corwin.

The trail about 20 miles north of Anchorage is a popular hiking destination in both the winter and summer due to its short length and easy access to Chugach State Park from the nearby Glenn Highway.

It was also the scene of the Chugiak-Eagle River area’s most recent homicide, a 2019 killing in which a group of teens allegedly lured a young woman to the area, killed her and dumped her body in the nearby Eklutna River. The case drew national attention after police said a third young man orchestrated the killing from Indiana.