Left: The missing-person poster for 86-year-old Mary Jo Evans, alongside a pre-fire photo of the Caribou Hotel, taken by the hotel. Right: Flames engulf the Caribou Hotel during the Nov. 12 blaze, captured by Cross Road Medical Center. Troopers confirmed Evans’ vehicle was recovered from the fire scene, linking the two investigations.
By Gina Hill | Alaska Headline News | November 2025
A mysterious hotel fire on the Richardson Highway is now at the center of a widening disappearance inquiry, after Alaska State Troopers confirmed that a vehicle destroyed in the blaze belonged to 86-year-old Mary Jo Evans, who has been missing since early November. The convergence of the two cases has raised urgent questions about what happened in the hours before and after the Caribou Hotel burned to the ground.
The Fire: A Rapidly Growing Blaze and a Damaged Lot of Vehicles
On November 12, 2025, just after 8 a.m., Alaska State Troopers and regional fire crews responded to heavy smoke and flames engulfing the Caribou Hotel, a long-standing roadside stop between Glennallen and Gakona. By the time responders arrived, the structure was already fully involved. Everyone inside was evacuated safely, and no injuries were initially reported.
Multiple vehicles in the hotel’s parking area were destroyed or severely damaged. Among them was a 2020 blue Ford Escape, burned beyond recognition.
A Deputy State Fire Marshal was assigned to investigate the cause and origin of the blaze. As of the latest statements, officials have not released a suspected cause, and the incident remains classified as an active investigation.
A Missing-Person Case Takes a Turn
Around the same time, the Valdez Police Department was pursuing leads in the disappearance of Mary Jo Evans, who was believed to be traveling from Anchorage toward Valdez on November 11, the day before the fire. After her family reported her missing, VPD issued a public alert asking for assistance locating her or her vehicle, a blue Ford Escape.
That missing-person notice reached a Glennallen resident who, after seeing photos of Evans’ vehicle, contacted troopers to report the burned-out SUV sitting in the Caribou Hotel lot.
Troopers confirmed the match. The vehicle in the ashes of the hotel fire was Evans’ Ford Escape.
That confirmation bridged the two investigations, transforming a structure fire into a potential crime scene linked to a missing Alaskan elder.
Searches Intensify at the Fire Site
In the days that followed, troopers and Deputy Fire Marshals expanded their work around the ruined hotel. According to public statements:
- No human remains were found during the initial firefighting response.
- Investigators began secondary searches using specialized equipment to examine debris, structural voids, and high-heat zones.
- Troopers have not indicated finding forensic evidence tying Evans to a specific room or location inside the hotel.
They have also not confirmed whether Evans stayed at the Caribou Hotel on the night of the fire, nor whether anyone reported seeing her at the site beforehand.
What Investigators Have Not Ruled Out
With Evans still missing and her vehicle destroyed in a fire of unknown cause, several possibilities remain open:
- Accidental involvement: Evans may have arrived at the hotel at some point prior to the fire without interacting with staff or other guests.
- Medical emergency or confusion: Troopers have acknowledged the possibility that Evans may have become disoriented on the road, common in elder missing-person cases, and sought temporary shelter.
- Foul play: No evidence has been released publicly suggesting a crime, but the combination of a fire of undetermined origin and a missing individual keeps this avenue active.
- Evans not being present at the fire at all: The only confirmed fact is that her car was there, not that she was.
As of the latest updates, troopers have emphasized that all possibilities remain under investigation.
Where the Case Stands Now
- Mary Jo Evans is still missing.
- Her burned vehicle was recovered at the Caribou Hotel fire scene.
- The cause of the fire is still undetermined.
- Troopers and State Fire Marshals continue to examine the hotel ruins and surrounding area for evidence.
- No publicly released evidence places Evans inside the hotel before or during the fire.
The Alaska State Troopers are urging anyone with information about Evans’ whereabouts, or who may have seen her vehicle traveling the Richardson Highway corridor between November 11 and 12, to contact them immediately.
This case remains one of the most troubling unresolved incidents on the Richardson Highway in recent years. As investigators push deeper into the fire debris and retrace Evans’ last known movements, the central question remains:
How did Mary Jo Evans’ vehicle end up at a hotel that burned to the ground … while she vanished without a trace?
