Police still hopeful in search for missing Alaska family

By Steve Quinn AU (Reuters) - Authorities remain hopeful that a missing Alaska couple and their two small children, last heard from about two weeks ago, will turn up alive and well, police said on Tuesday. Rebecca Adams, 22, her two daughters aged 5 and 3, and her 37-year-old boyfriend, Brandon Jividen, disappeared around May 27 from their home in Kenai, a coastal community of about 7,300 residents 65 miles (105 km) southwest of Anchorage. Kenai Police Chief Gus Sandahl said on Tuesday that search teams composed of local, state and federal agencies were following up on leads. Authorities say they do not suspect foul play, although they have not ruled it out. "We still remain hopeful the family is alive and well," said Sandahl, whose team was joined by the FBI over the weekend. Asked why he was hopeful, the police chief responded: "I have no reason not to be." Sandahl said the last confirmed physical sighting of the family was on May 18 in a surveillance video from a local business. Relatives have told police they spoke with Adams by telephone over the Memorial Day weekend in late May. He said the surveillance video showed Adams and her daughters, but not Jividen. Photos of the family have been sent to all Alaska law enforcement agencies, he added, and search teams are looking through wooded areas. FBI agents have joined the search effort because there were children involved and the disappearance was deemed mysterious. Authorities said the family uncharacteristically left their home without notice and without paying rent, and left behind their automobiles, camping gear and the children’s car seats. The family's dog is also missing. (Editing by Daniel Wallis and Peter Cooney)