Fisherman found deceased aboard Petersburg vessel

A 28-year-old Seattle man working aboard the F/V Odin was found deceased in his bunk by a fellow crew member Saturday morning. The cause of death is unknown, according to Tim Buness, Wrangell Volunteer Fire Department chief and Search and Rescue coordinator.

The vessel, owned by Mark Severson of Petersburg, was located in Anita Bay near Wrangell, when the unresponsive Charles "Rhett" Richards was discovered. According to Buness, the U.S. Coast Guard and Wrangell Search and Rescue were in communication around 5:12 a.m., and search and rescue was on the scene roughly 30 minutes later.

Search and rescue brought Richards to the Wrangell clinic, where he was pronounced dead and transferred to the state medical examiner's office in Anchorage for an autopsy. According to an Alaska State Trooper press release, an Alaska Wildlife Trooper in Wrangell responded to investigate. The exact cause of death is unknown pending results from the medical examiner.