50 hours in the American town where people disappear

Two Days in Nome, Alaska

The video follows two days in Nome, a remote Alaskan town with no road connections, exploring its gold-mining past and its reputation for disappearances.

A Town Shaped by Gold

The region was home to the Indigenous Iñupiat long before gold was discovered nearby in 1898 and on Nome’s beaches in 1899. The gold rush brought more than 20,000 people to the area by 1900, but the population later dwindled.

Today, Nome has about 3,500 residents, and only a handful of mining operations remain. Miner George, known as Radar, shows the presenters a modern mine and says mining still provides jobs, although many prospectors come away empty-handed.

Disappearances and Unanswered Questions

Nome’s missing-person cases are part of Alaska’s broader problem of high rates of missing and murdered people, particularly among Indigenous communities. Local resident Molly describes her frustration with what she saw as inadequate attention to missing Indigenous people. She says pressure from the community led police to investigate more actively.

In 2005, the FBI examined more than 20 disappearances spanning several decades and found no evidence of a serial killer. The agency cited factors including alcohol, severe weather, and accidental deaths in some cases.

Cases That Remain Unresolved

Police describe several open cases, including those of Joseph Balderas and Florence “Flo” Okpealuk, who was last seen near the beach. An officer involved in the search says investigators followed leads for years without finding an answer and asks anyone with information to come forward.

The officer also argues that online speculation can exaggerate how many people are disappearing at once, while acknowledging the lasting pain these cases cause for families.

A More Complex Picture of Nome

The presenters observe visible hardship and hear about substance abuse and crime, but they also meet welcoming locals. They conclude that Nome’s mystery-focused reputation can obscure the realities of a small community facing serious challenges—as well as the warmth and generosity they encountered there.

Presenters and Contributors

• Yes Theory presenters, including Thomas, who is identified in the subtitles, and an unnamed co-presenter
• Molly, a local resident
• Jim, a saloon owner and local fire chief and search-and-rescue director
• George “Radar,” a gold miner
• Nome police personnel, including an unnamed chief and officer