Police in Alaska have suspended the search for a missing BYU student last seen over a week ago on a river near King Salmon.
However, John Holm, with the Alaska State Troopers, said some people who knew Eric Larson, 24, are still actively looking for him. A spokesman for the Larson family said Eric's father and brother are in Alaska assisting with the search.
Larson, who lived in Bountiful and was a senior in accounting at BYU, was last seen on the Egegik River in a 24-foot aluminum skiff when a large storm hit the area. His capsized boat was found by police.
Winds gusted up to 40 miles per hour the night Larson disappeared, according to Holm. Because of the weather, he said, the majority of the area's search planes could not fly.
Holm said the decision to suspend the search was based on several factors. One of them was the tide patterns on the river. Another was the remoteness of the area. Holm said the village of Egegik has fewer than 200 residents.
"The location where he (Larson) was fishing is more remote than that. There are only four or five cabins in the area and Eric's is one of them," said Holm.
He said an extensive search of the area was conducted with airplanes and boats before the decision was made to call off the effort.
A family spokesman said Larson was an experienced fisherman who was very familiar with the area.