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Michigan Man Arrested in 1993 Alaska Killing; No Hearings Scheduled Yet
Christopher Popps, 54, was taken into custody July 16 near Kalamazoo in the 1993 homicide of Patrick Orville Dearth. Alaska investigators linked him to the case through multiple anonymous confessions that began in January 2025 and led to the recovery of remains near Fairbanks.
Jul 20, 4:24 AM·1m read5 sources
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Christopher Popps, 54, of Michigan, was arrested near Kalamazoo on July 16 in connection with the 1993 shooting death of Patrick Orville Dearth near Fairbanks. Alaska State Troopers said the arrest followed an investigation that began with anonymous tips received by law enforcement agencies starting January 22, 2025. One caller claimed responsibility for a murder in the Fairbanks area that year.
Investigators could not examine the reported location until May because of snow cover. Searchers then recovered human remains inside a barrel down an embankment near Mile 47 of the Steese Highway. The Alaska State Medical Examiner’s Office identified the remains as Dearth, 34, who had been reported missing in November 1993, and ruled the death a homicide.
Dearth and Popps had worked together in Fairbanks. Alaska State Troopers spokesperson Austin McDaniel said an altercation at an auto shop ended with Popps shooting Dearth. “Based on our investigation, we determined there was an altercation at an auto shop, which led Popps to shoot Dearth,” McDaniel stated.
Popps made multiple anonymous tips to different Alaska agencies claiming responsibility for the death. A Fairbanks grand jury indicted Popps on two counts of second-degree murder on June 25. A warrant was issued the same day.
Michigan State Police took him into custody on July 16. He remains jailed in Kalamazoo County awaiting extradition to Alaska. As of July 18, Alaska court records listed no attorney for Popps and no hearings had been scheduled.
