Frozen in Time: The Mysterious Disappearance & Death of Duncan MacPherson

Described as a ‘happy guy’ by those closest to him, Duncan MacPherson always loved the game of hockey. Not an unusual hobby for a Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, child. MacPherson wasn’t like the other kids who shared his passion for hockey. He was tougher, more defensive, and more skilled than the other kids. As MacPherson got older, his skills improved, earning him the nickname ‘MacFearsome.’ His hockey skills eventually took him to the pros.

By age 17, MacPherson played with his hometown team, the Blades. Although the Blades fell short of earning a spot in the playoffs in 1983, MacPherson impressed the likes of coaches. By the time the 1984 drafts rolled around, MacPherson was a 20th overall, 1st round pick.

Duncan stayed two more seasons with the hometown team despite

an offer from the Islanders during that draft. He then turned pro with a minor league team in Springfield. His time with the Springfield team saw MacPherson injured, sitting on the bench more than he played the game. He blew both knees and suffered a torn rotator cuff soon after joining the team. He was eventually cut from the team at the end of the 1988 season, now out of work and unemployed.

MacPherson Looks for Work in Europe

Enduring game-ending injuries at just 23 years old frightened MacPherson. He did not earn a college degree and knew he needed to look to sports leagues in Europe if he ever wanted to play again. Weeks after reaching out to European leagues, Ron Dixon, owner of a British hockey league based in Dundee, Scotland, called the Tayside Tigers, wanted him as the team’s head coach and part-time hockey player.

He wasn't sure if Dixon was legit, although agreed to meet up with him in person to discuss the details and sign the contract. Meanwhile, he told his parents and a few friends the CIA had attempted to recruit him. Although it is unclear if MacPherson was joking or if an agent from the CIA actually contacted him, it led the public to form many conspiracies later down the road.

MacPherson Disappears During a Snowboarding Trip in Austria

MacPherson agreed to meet Dixon on August 12, 1989. He departed Fuessen, Germany, on August 9, 1989, after borrowing a vehicle from his friend and former teammate, George Pesuit. MacPherson told his friend he would spend a day or two at a ski resort in Austria before his meeting with Dixon.

He’d always been interested in snowboarding. This was the perfect time to hit the slopes and put his skills to the test.

MacPherson headed to the Stubai Alps where Walter, a worker at a popular ski resort, spoke to him on August 9. MacPherson told Walter he was headed to the mountain to snowboard.

That’s the last time anyone saw MacPherson alive.

It was foggy that day, meaning most skiers and snowboarders stayed at their resorts. A little bad weather could not stop MacPherson from hitting the slopes.

Where’s Duncan?

When MacPherson didn’t show up for their arranged meeting, Dixon called Duncan’s family wondering what happened. His parents immediately knew something was afoul. Duncan looked forward to playing hockey again and working out to deals of the contract with Dixon.

The problem is, they didn't initially know Duncan’s location. Austrian police offered little help. He was a grown man in Europe and could change his plans without telling anyone, the police said.

Six weeks later, the MacPherson’s headed to the Stubai Alps to search for Duncan after learning he’d borrowed Persut’s car. That car was located in the resort parking lot with most of his belongings still inside, including his passport.

Austrian police then took the case seriously and began a massive search for Duncan MacPherson. Despite their searches, police nor the MacPherson family found any traces of Duncan.

Fourteen Years Without Leads & Then MacPherson Suddenly Reappears

Over the next fourteen years, the MacPherson family traveled to the Alps nine times searching for Duncan or any evidence of what could’ve happened to him all those years ago. Their efforts were futile. That all changed one day in 2003 when an employee at the Stubai Glacier Resort saw a glove sticking out of the snow-covered melting mountain glacier.

The employee first thought the glove was trash lying on the ground. When the employee attempted to pick up the glove, MacPherson’s frozen body emerged. The employee immediately called authorities who saw the 23-year-old staring back at them from underneath the snow. The frozen ice had preserved his body and the clothing he wore all those years earlier. In his jacket pocket was an identification card confirming the body was that of Duncan MacPherson. His broken snowboard was still strapped to his back.

What Happened to Duncan MacPherson?

After pulling MacPherson’s body from the frozen ice and snow, authorities determined his body had been subjected to trauma. His left femur was smashed, and his leg and forearm had been severed from his body. He also suffered two broken bones. Officials determined the injuries were consistent with a human engaging with machinery.

Resort officials investigated Duncan’s death and determined his death was accidental. He must’ve wandered off-trail during his snowboarding expedition, fell into a crevasse, and died.

Click here to see more photos and read forensics regarding Duncan's death.

Several theories regarding MacPherson’s death swirled. Some wondered if the CIA had abducted him in some type of secret mission. The most likely version of events suggests that a resort employee plowing snow on the glacier that evening ran over Duncan, who possibly had sustained an injury that left him unable to move. Perhaps he broke his leg or fell into a small crevasse. The snow plowing machinery broke MacPherson’s snowboard.

After the resort employee realized they ran over MacPherson, who possibly was still alive, they moved Duncan’s body into a larger crevasse and covered it with snow. A Canadian pathologist confirmed this version of events, saying that both a violent fall and ‘encounter with machinery likely caused the injuries MacPherson sustained.

An Austrian pathologist added his theory: Duncan’s injuries were caused by 14 years of ice, snow, and sediment movement and damage caused by being buried under the snow.

The only sure thing about the death of Duncan MacPherson is that he died alone on a glacier one fateful day in August. More than 30 years after MacPherson's untimely death, unanswered questions remain, and it's unlikely answers will ever come.