Missing US couple found after eight days in Alaska — just 3km from car

A US man, who previously got lost hiking in Australia, has been found after eight days missing with his partner - not far from his car.

A US couple who vanished more than a week ago while hiking in Alaska were found safe — just 3km from their parked car, family said.

Couple Jonas Bare, 50, and Cynthia Hovsepian, 37, were spotted by a hiker as they wandered through the woods in Fairbanks, a city with a population of more than 30,000, in central Alaska.

The pair had survived eight days in the wilderness after losing their way on what was supposed to be a brief hike on an established trail, Mr Bare’s uncle, who asked to remain anonymous, told The New York Post.

Mr Bare has admitted that on a trip to Australia he also got lost, likely in the Blue Mountains near Sydney.

Cynthia Hovsepian and Jonas Bare, the Tennessee couple that vanished in Alaska last week, were found safe on Friday, 3km from their car. Picture: TikTok.

The family member said he believed Mr Bare and Ms Hovsepian, from the state of Tennessee, became dazed and confused by the 20 hours of sunlight per day in the state this time of year, paired with temperatures that can drop to 7C during the four hours of twilight.

“They were lost, I’m sure, and disoriented or else they would have been out of there,” he said.

Mr Bare’s daughter also confirmed that her father and Ms Hovsepian were discovered alive and were being treated at a hospital. It is unclear what condition they are in or if they suffered any injuries.

Jonas Bare is photographed alongside his dad after he was found. Picture: Facebook.

A picture of Mr Bare — covered in dirt and wearing an Alaska T-shirt — was shared on a Facebook page dedicated to finding the missing couple on Friday night.

He stood beside his 71-year-old father Billy, who Mr Bare’s uncle said charged into the woods in search of his missing son several times over the last several days.

Mr Bare and Ms Hovsepian were reported missing on August 11 after they failed to check out of their Airbnb rental, where they left all their luggage behind, Fairbanks police said.

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.

The couple may have become confused by the 20 hours of Alaska daylight. Picture: Facebook.

Ms Hovsepian is visually impaired and occasionally relies on a cane. Picture: Facebook.

“Here’s your kicker: two miles (3.2km) from the car,” Mr Bare’s uncle told The Post.

“That’s how that tells you right there how rugged that country could be.”

How Mr Bare and Ms Hovsepian — who is visually impaired and occasionally relies on a cane — survived eight days in the unfamiliar wilderness is still a mystery.

Mr Bare’s uncle described his nephew as a “capable” man who has done extensive travelling throughout the world.

Mr Bare, a Nashville businessman, last posted on Facebook about his trip to Alaska on August 8. He previously said in another post he was travelling to his 50th state for his 50th birthday.

Mr Bare last posted on Facebook about his trip to Alaska on August 8. Picture: Facebook.

“I’m not going to get lost like I did 10 years ago in Australia and Katoomba Range (sic). If a Kodiak (a bear) gets me, I’ll consider that an honourable death,” he eerily wrote in one of the August 8 posts.

The Post has reached out to the Fairbanks Police Department and the Alaskan State Troopers for comment.

This story appeared in the New York Post and is reproduced with permission.