Remains Unearthed Near Fairbanks Tentatively Identified As Joe Vogler

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - A corpse unearthed from a shallow grave near Fairbanks has been tentatively identified as the missing politician whose party pushed for secession.

Joe Vogler unsuccessfully ran for governor in 1974, 1982 and 1986 on the Alaskan Independence Party ticket. Vogler, a gold miner who objected to federal controls on government land, had founded the pro-development party, which advocated that Alaska secede from the United States.

He disappeared in May 1993, at age 80.

At a news conference Wednesday, State Police Sgt. Jim McCann said the grave matches a description given in May by Manfred West, a Fairbanks man who troopers say acknowledged killing Vogler before West allegedly set fire to a cabin. The news conference was held at the gravesite in woods northeast of Fairbanks.

West, imprisoned in Fairbanks for forgery, was awaiting trial on arson charges. No charges related to Vogler's death have been filed so far.

West told investigators he went to visit Vogler, an argument ensued and shots were exchanged.

Fairbanks District Attorney Harry Davis said that depending on the extent of decomposition, positive identification could be a long process.

The remains were sent to the Anchorage crime laboratory. Forensic tests there may conclusively identify the body and reveal clues about the death.

If the remains are confirmed as Vogler's, it would end a mystery that has consumed many Alaskans since Vogler vanished without a trace from his home near the University of Alaska campus in Fairbanks.

"I'm so relieved. That is such good news," said Tricia Brown, an Anchorage-based magazine editor who profiled Vogler and learned of the tentative identification Wednesday afternoon.

"He's important to Alaska. You could like the guy without going along with his politics."