Circumstances of Disappearance
Scott was last seen with his younger sister, Amy, in their family's Sterling, Alaska home.
They had been at Good Time Charlie's, a bar/restaurant in Sterling, until approximately 10:00 p.m. that night with their mother and a visiting aunt. The women brought Scott and Amy back to the cabin at that time and then returned to the bar by themselves. They arrived back home between 2:00 and 3:00 a.m. on September 5, 1978 to find the lights out and food cooking on the stove. Assuming that Scott and Amy were sleeping at a neighbor's house, they retired for the night.
The neighbor's children arrived at the Fandels' home after school and inquired as to Scott and Amy's whereabouts. The aunt learned that neither child had attended classes that day, nor had they spent the night at the neighbor's house. She called the mother, who immediately summoned the police.
Bullet casings were later found outside the cabin.