What Happened to the Palmer Brothers?

Two brothers in Alaska disappeared a decade apart. Were their disappearances related or coincidental, and how could a family deal with the mysterious losses of two loved ones?

Michael Palmer

Michael Palmer disappeared while riding his bike down a Wasilla, Alaska road on June 4, 1999. Michael was 15 years old. Michael, or Mike, spent the night at a friend’s house, and he and three other boys slipped out of the house to attend a graduation party near the Meadow Lake subdivision outside Wasilla. Wasilla is a town of approximately 10,000 residents 43 miles (69.2 km) northeast of Anchorage.

The boys rode their bicycles to the party, and according to Mike’s friends, Mike consumed a few beers, but he was not intoxicated when the boys left the party to head home at 4:00 am. The party took place at a residence nine miles (14.5 km) from where the boys were staying, so they had a long bicycle ride home.

According to Mike’s friends, the boys all started riding together on their bikes, but after a while, Mike fell behind them. They pulled over and waited for Mike at the 7-Eleven on the Parks Highway, but when Mike never arrived, the boys decided Mike must have cycled to his own home, so they continued on their way.