17-year-old found dead in woods three days after fleeing party, Alaska officials say

A missing teen was found dead in the woods after fleeing a party three days earlier, Alaska officials said.

Talen Luth-Ney, 17, was at a party in Fairbanks on Sept. 3 with his friends when he “freaked out” and “ran straight into the woods” after being told cops were coming, according to a Sept. 7 release from the Alaska Department of Public Safety.

One of Luth-Ney’s friends called troopers after no one had heard from him in five hours, officials said.

Troopers searched the ground and a helicopter searched from the air, officials said.

On Sept. 6, a volunteer search team found Luth-Ney in a “small pond in a gravel pit,” troopers said.

Luth-Ney’s body was sent to the state Medical Examiner’s Office to determine the cause of death, the release said.

Troopers said the investigation is ongoing.

This story was originally published September 7, 2023 at 4:44 PM with the headline "17-year-old found dead in woods three days after fleeing party, Alaska officials say."