Michigan Man Charged in 1993 Alaska Killing After Anonymous Tip Leads to Remains
Christopher Popps, a 54-year-old Michigan resident, has been charged with the murder of Patrick Orville Dearth, a case that had remained unsolved for over 30 years. Dearth disappeared in November 1993 in Fairbanks, Alaska, and his case went cold until January 2025, when Alaska State Troopers received an anonymous tip. The tipster claimed responsibility for a murder in the Fairbanks area in 1993. This confession led investigators to discover human remains in May 2025, identified as Dearth's, inside a barrel near the Steese Highway. The Alaska State Medical Examiner ruled the death a homicide. Popps, who had worked with Dearth, allegedly shot him following an altercation at an auto shop. A Fairbanks grand jury indicted Popps on two counts of second-degree murder in June 2026, and he was arrested in Michigan in July 2026. He is currently awaiting extradition to Alaska. 
