Missing snowmobilers found dead after weather delays search, Alaska officials say

Two snowmobilers were found dead after extreme weather delayed search efforts, Alaska officials said.

Charlene Habros, 34, and Dustin Gologergen, 55, were found dead after Alaska State Troopers received reports on Dec. 11 that they were missing after setting out from Teller to Nome, according to a Dec. 12 news release.

The wind chill in Nome was 20 below 0 in the morning and stayed below 0 on Dec. 11, The Associated Press reported.

Rescue teams were unable to perform ground and air searches due to weather conditions, troopers said.

Initially, the snowmobile was found, but the two were still missing, officials said.

The couple was using a single snowmachine and didn’t make it to Nome, officials said.

“They were ... great people,” Brenda Crim, a friend of the couple, told People. “They helped people get through sobriety. Dustin worked in a homeless shelter at night.”

Officials don’t suspect foul play, a spokesperson for the Alaska Department of Public Safety told People.

The bodies were recovered and transported to Nome, officials said.

Habros’ and Gologergen’s families have been notified, troopers said.

The State Medical Examiner’s Office in Anchorage will perform the autopsy, the release said.

“They also gained a lot of respect from the local community because of how positive they were,” Crim told People. “They were probably the strongest humans I know — warm, positive, And very well-known in the community.”

Nome is in western Alaska about 535 miles northwest of Anchorage.

This story was originally published December 15, 2023 at 4:00 PM with the headline "Missing snowmobilers found dead after weather delays search, Alaska officials say."