This article takes you deep into one of Alaska’s most unsettling mysteries — the 2022 disappearance of Oregon couple Tessa Sullivan and Finn Hoffman. At first, it seemed like a tragic case of lost hikers. But the later discovery of Finn’s body in a grotesque bear bait pile turned everything upside down, revealing signs of murder and leaving behind one haunting question: What happened to Tessa?
Read on to explore their final days, the massive search effort, the shocking discoveries, and the disturbing threads that investigators are still trying to untangle.

A Vacation That Never Ended

On September 9th, 2022, Tessa and Finn left their cabin at the Kenai River Lodge in Cooper Landing, Alaska, planning a morning hike before heading back to check out. Lodge manager Brenda Riley expected them to return by noon. When they didn’t, she assumed they lost track of time. But hours turned into a full day. Their luggage was untouched, toothbrushes were still in the bathroom, and their rental car was gone.

Riley’s unease grew. By the next afternoon, she contacted the Alaska State Troopers. What began as a late checkout quickly escalated into a missing persons investigation.

The Couple Behind the Names

Friends and family described Tessa, 27, as thoughtful and meticulous — the kind of person who planned details down to the last map and trail guide. Finn, 28, was the more adventurous half, often nudging them toward the path less traveled. Both were experienced hikers in the Pacific Northwest, but Alaska was an entirely new challenge.

It was supposed to be their first big adventure together in the Last Frontier. Instead, it became their last known trip.

The Vanished SUV

Investigators quickly zeroed in on a crucial missing piece: the couple’s rental car, a gray Ford Escape. Typically, missing hikers leave their car at a trailhead. But the vehicle wasn’t at the Slaughter Gulch Trail parking lot — the hike Finn mentioned in a text days before.

With no car, no trail evidence, and no sightings, the search was already off-balance.

A Massive Search Effort

Within days, the Alaska State Troopers, volunteer rescue teams, and canine units launched a coordinated search. Helicopters scanned the wilderness. Teams trudged through dense underbrush, shouting the couple’s names into the endless forest. The weather turned grim: bone-chilling rain, slippery mud, and eventually early snow.

Every lead collapsed. An old gas station clerk swore he’d seen the couple buying a map — but his store cameras had glitched. The trail went cold.

By mid-October, with winter closing in and still no trace, the search was officially suspended. The case shifted into cold status, leaving their families shattered and desperate for answers.

Nine Months Later: A Gruesome Discovery

On June 5th, 2023, Ranger Elias Vance was inspecting bear baiting stations in a remote section of the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. What he found was grotesque — a blue barrel spilling over with thousands of rotting pastries and corn, a stench so strong it overpowered the forest air.

But beneath the donuts and slime was something far worse: the soles of hiking boots. Inside the barrel was the decomposing body of Finn Hoffman.

Murder, Not Accident

The medical examiner confirmed the unthinkable. Finn had died from blunt force trauma to the back of his head — a clear homicide. Even more disturbing, his body showed signs of being preserved in cold storage for months before being dumped at the bait site.

This meant someone had murdered Finn, kept his body hidden all winter, and only disposed of him in May 2023.

Where Was Tessa?

The discovery flipped the investigation on its head. Now it wasn’t just about lost hikers — it was a calculated crime. But one half of the couple was still missing.

Had Tessa been killed and hidden elsewhere? Or — in a far darker twist — could she have been involved? Investigators didn’t rule anything out, though family and friends strongly denied she would ever harm Finn.

The public’s grief turned to speculation. Rumors swirled, but answers remained out of reach.

A Car in the Lake

In July 2023, two fishermen made a startling discovery at Tustumena Lake, a remote glacier-fed body of water. Beneath the crystal-clear surface, they spotted the roof of a car.

It was the missing gray Ford Escape.

Divers recovered the SUV, confirming it belonged to the couple. Even more chilling, GPS data from the vehicle showed they had never gone toward the Slaughter Gulch Trail at all. Instead, they had driven directly toward the lake — the same region where their car was later found submerged.

A Name Emerges: Alistair Finch

Investigators tied the barrel used in Finn’s disposal to surplus equipment once purchased at a bankruptcy auction by a man named Alistair Finch. Finch, 68, owned over 100 acres of land near Tustumena Lake and lived almost completely off the grid.

He had no criminal record, no licenses, and barely any footprint at all — a modern hermit. Yet his property now sat at the center of the investigation, connected both to the barrel and the lake where the car was found.