The arrest, announced July 17, 2026, is a major development in a Fairbanks homicide investigation that had remained unresolved for more than three decades. Popps has been charged, but the allegations have not been adjudicated and the available information does not establish a conviction.

Dearth was reported missing in 1993

Dearth was 34 when he disappeared in 1993. His family reported him missing to the Fairbanks Police Department in November of that year.

Investigators determined that Dearth and Popps had worked together in Fairbanks. That connection places the case’s underlying disappearance in Fairbanks, even though Popps was arrested in Michigan.

The Alaska Bureau of Investigation and Alaska State Troopers developed the case and announced the arrest. The agencies’ work has moved the matter from a long-running investigation to a criminal charge, though the court process has not yet resolved the allegations.

Investigators’ account remains an allegation

Investigators allege that an altercation at an auto shop preceded Popps’ alleged shooting of Dearth. They also allege that Dearth’s body was placed in a barrel and dumped beside a highway.

Those details are part of the investigators’ account underlying the second-degree murder charge. They are not court findings, and Popps is presumed innocent unless and until guilt is established through the legal process.

The available information does not describe a motive, and it does not identify a court finding on the allegations. It also does not provide an Alaska hearing date or an extradition timetable following the Michigan arrest.

Tip led investigators to search area

A tip received in January directed investigators toward the location of the remains, according to the reported account of the investigation. Troopers waited until spring 2025 to search the area because of snow and limited daylight.

That later search was part of the investigative work that preceded the 2026 arrest, more than 30 years after Dearth was reported missing. The case now carries a second-degree murder charge, but the charging allegations remain subject to court proceedings.

No public safety instruction was identified in the available information. The known next step is the prosecution process, although authorities had not publicly identified a next Alaska court proceeding or a schedule for transferring Popps to Alaska.