Anonymous Confession Cracks 30-Year-Old Murder Case, Suspect Arrested

After 30 years of silence, an anonymous confession has shattered the cold case surrounding the disappearance of an Alaska man, leading directly to the arrest of the alleged murderer.

Christopher Popps, 54, from Michigan, now faces serious charges after Alaska State Troopers linked him to the confession. He stands accused of shooting his former co-worker, Patrick Orville Dearth, in 1993 and disposing of his body in a barrel along a remote highway.

Dearth, who was 34 at the time of his disappearance in November 1993, was reported missing to the Fairbanks Police Department. For decades, investigators struggled to find any leads.

The turning point arrived on January 22, 2025, when Alaska State Troopers received an anonymous tip from someone claiming responsibility for a murder in Fairbanks back in 1993. This revelation reignited interest in the long-dormant case.

Due to heavy snow and limited daylight, investigators could not immediately search the area. It wasn't until May 2025 that they returned to find human remains inside a barrel down a steep embankment near Mile 47 of the Steese Highway.

The Alaska State Medical Examiner's Office later confirmed that the remains belonged to Dearth and ruled his death a homicide.

As the investigation progressed, authorities identified Popps as the anonymous tipster. He had reportedly made multiple confessions to various law enforcement agencies regarding Dearth's death.

Details remain murky as to why Popps chose to confess more than three decades after the crime. However, investigators revealed that Popps and Dearth had worked together in Fairbanks, and an altercation at an auto shop escalated into violence, with Popps allegedly shooting Dearth.

"Based on our investigation, we determined there was an altercation at an auto shop, which led Popps to shoot Dearth," stated Alaska State Troopers spokesperson Austin McDaniel.

A Fairbanks grand jury indicted Popps on two counts of second-degree murder on June 25, 2026. An arrest warrant was issued on the same day.

Popps was apprehended by Michigan State Police near Kalamazoo on July 16 and is currently held in Kalamazoo County, awaiting extradition to Alaska.

As of Friday, no attorney is listed for Popps in Alaska court records, and no future hearings have been scheduled.