Christopher Popps, 54, was arrested in Michigan and charged with second-degree murder in the 1993 killing of Patrick Dearth after authorities say he called in what he intended to be an anonymous tip about where he had hidden the victim’s remains. Alaska state police said the case, which had remained unsolved for more than three decades, moved forward after the tipster was identified as Popps.
Dearth, 34, was reported missing to police in Fairbanks in November 1993. His whereabouts remained unknown until an initially anonymous tipster contacted authorities in January 2025, took responsibility for Dearth’s disappearance and disclosed where the victim’s remains were, according to the Alaska state police statement.
How did investigators identify the tipster?
Investigators determined the tipster was Popps, though they did not elaborate on how they reached that conclusion. In May 2025, they found what was later confirmed to be Dearth’s remains in a barrel at the bottom of a steep highway embankment, where Popps had allegedly directed them, state police said.
Alaska Public Media, citing state police spokesperson Austin McDaniel, reported that Popps and Dearth had been colleagues at an auto shop. McDaniel said, according to the outlet, that Popps had allegedly shot Dearth to death during an altercation at their workplace.
What else did police say about the anonymous tips?
McDaniel told Alaska Public Media that it appeared Popps had provided multiple anonymous tips to law enforcement agencies in the state about Dearth and his responsibility for the victim’s disappearance. It was not immediately clear what motivated Popps to do that, McDaniel added to the outlet.
The state police spokesperson also reportedly said investigators waited about four months to search for Dearth’s body because the area where the victim had been left was covered in snow at the time of the January 2025 tip. Daylight is also scarce at that time of year, Alaska Public Media quoted McDaniel as saying.
What charges has Popps faced?
Court records show Alaska’s office of special prosecutions obtained an indictment from a Fairbanks grand jury charging Popps with Dearth’s murder on 25 June. Popps was listed in court records as a resident of Battle Creek, Michigan, at the time of the indictment.
State police in Michigan arrested Popps on 16 July and booked him into the Kalamazoo county jail near Battle Creek, according to officials. He remained held without bond at that facility on Monday, with his transfer to the custody of Alaska authorities pending.
Under Alaska law, Popps could receive between 10 and 99 years in prison if eventually convicted of second-degree murder.
What happens next in the case?
Alaska state police said they had notified Dearth’s family of Popps’s arrest. Attempts to contact survivors of Dearth on Monday were unsuccessful, and information about a legal representative for Popps was not immediately available.
Key Facts
- Christopher Popps, 54, was arrested in Michigan on 16 July and charged in the 1993 killing of Patrick Dearth.
- Dearth, 34, was reported missing in Fairbanks in November 1993.
- Authorities said an anonymous tip in January 2025 led them to Dearth’s remains in May 2025.
- Popps was indicted by a Fairbanks grand jury on 25 June and remained held without bond on Monday.
- Under Alaska law, a second-degree murder conviction could carry 10 to 99 years in prison.
