A Tennessee couple who went missing more than a week ago while trekking in Alaska were discovered safe Friday, barely two miles from their parked car, according to family.
A hiker observed Jonas Bare, 50, and Cynthia Hovsepian, 37, as they meandered through the woods in Fairbanks, a city of more than 30,000 people.
The duo had survived eight days in the bush after getting lost on what was supposed to be a short trip on an established track, according to Bare’s uncle, who requested anonymity.
The family member believes Bare and Hovsepian grew dazed and confused due to the state’s 20 hours of sunlight each day this time of year, along with temperatures in the 90s.
“They were lost, I’m sure, and disoriented or else they would have been out of there,” he said.
Bare’s daughter stated that her father and Cynthia were found alive and being treated at a hospital. It is unknown what condition they are in or whether they have been injured.
On Friday night, a picture of Bare, who was coated in dirt and wearing an Alaska T-shirt, was uploaded on a Facebook page dedicated to discovering the missing pair.
He stood by his 71-year-old father Billy, who, according to Bare’s uncle, had charged into the woods multiple times in search of his missing son.
Bare and Hovsepian went missing on August 11 after failing to check out of their Airbnb home, where they left all of their belongings, according to Fairbanks police.
The dark-blue Jeep Compass that the couple was renting was also found abandoned at the popular Chena Hot Springs Resort, located near the hiking trail.
“Here’s your kicker: two miles from the car,” Bare’s uncle told The Post.
“That’s how that tells you right there how rugged that country could be.”
It is still unknown how Bare and Hovsepian, who is visually handicapped and occasionally uses a cane, survived eight days in the foreign terrain.
Bare’s uncle characterized his nephew as a “capable” man who has traveled extensively around the world.
Bare, a Nashville businessman, last posted about his vacation to Alaska on Facebook on August 8. He earlier stated in another post that he was going to his 50th state to celebrate his 50th birthday.
“I’m not going to get lost like I did 10 years ago in Australia and Katoomba Range. If a Kodiak gets me, I’ll consider that an honorable death,” he eerily wrote in one of the Aug. 8 posts.
The Post has reached out to the Fairbanks Police Department and the Alaskan State Troopers for comment.
