A Michigan man has been identified and is now in police custody after they say he confessed to a 33-year-old homicide that took place in Alaska, Michigan State Police announced on Monday, July 20.
MSP says the man, Christopher Popps, 54, of Battle Creek, was placed under arrest at his residence on Thursday, July 16, on an outstanding homicide warrant.
It comes after the agency received a request for assistance from the Alaska State Troopers’ Cold Case Investigation Unit.
According to the Alaska Department of Public Safety, troopers received an anonymous tip in January 2025 from someone who claimed to have committed a murder in 1993.
In May 2025, investigators traveled to mile 47 of the Steese Highway in central Alaska, where the tipster said the body was left. Officers, shortly after, located the human remains inside a barrel.
The state’s medical examiner determined the remains belonged to Patrick Orville Dearth, 34, who was reported missing in November 1993, according to the Alaska Department of Public Safety.
Troopers later identified Popps as the one who made the call.
In June, a Fairbanks grand jury indicted Popps on two counts of murder in the second degree.
He is currently lodged at Kalamazoo County Jail and was awaiting extradition as of Tuesday, according to Michigan State Police.
Jalen Williams is a trending reporter at the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at jawilliams1@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan man arrested in 1993 Alaska cold case
Reporting by Jalen Williams, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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By Jalen Williams, Detroit Free Press | USA TODAY Network
