Troopers identify body found on Nome's East Beach last week

By Laura Robertson | 

The human remains that washed up in Nome last week have been identified as 72-year-old Samuel Shavings of Mekoryuk, Alaska State Troopers say.
Shavings went missing on May 26, 2025, when the boat he was traveling in sunk in rough water conditions.
Two men, including Shavings, were missing after the boat sank off the coast of Mekoryuk. Three men were aboard  22- to 24-foot Ocean Pro when it sank. One man swam to shore and was located. Samuel Shavings, 72, and Albert Williams, 65, remained missing. Two local boats searched for the men overnight with assistance from the U.S. Coast Guard. On May 27, the Rescue Coordination Center planned to launch a C-130 aircraft and the U.S. Coast Guard routed a vessel to the area. A search and rescue team found the remains of Albert Williams, who was traveling in the boat with Shavings.
The search for Shavings was eventually suspended.
The body was found on Friday, August 22, by two beachcombers strolling along East Beach in Nome. According to troopers, the body was washed up on the beach, near the Nome-Council highway and the Beam Road.
The identity of the deceased person was unknown as the body was in advanced stages of decomposition. Troopers said in a dispatch the person was dressed in winter gear.
According to Tim DeSpain, a trooper spokesperson, Nome Police Department and the Nome Volunteer Fire Department responded to assist troopers.
The body was sent to the state medical examiner on Sunday for an autopsy. On Thursday, the troopers said the state medical examiner had identified the remains as Samuel Shavings.
Shavings’ next of kin has been notified.