In a stunning display of self-sabotage that would make even the most incompetent criminal blush, a Michigan man has been charged with a 1993 murder after he called in what he intended to be an anonymous tip revealing the location of the victim's long-missing body.

Christopher Popps, 54, faces second-degree murder charges in the death of Patrick Dearth, a co-worker at an auto shop in Fairbanks, Alaska. Dearth, 34, was reported missing in November 1993, and his whereabouts remained a mystery until January 2025, when an anonymous tipster called authorities, took responsibility for Dearth's disappearance, and directed them to the remains.

Investigators, presumably not fooled by the world's worst anonymous tip, quickly identified Popps as the caller. In May 2025, they found Dearth's remains in a barrel at the bottom of a steep highway embankment, exactly where Popps had allegedly directed them. Alaska State Police spokesperson Austin McDaniel told Alaska Public Media that Popps had provided multiple anonymous tips about Dearth to law enforcement, though his motives remain unclear.

Perhaps Popps was overcome with guilt, or maybe he just really wanted to play a game of hide-and-seek with the police. Either way, investigators waited until the snow melted to search for the body - because even in Alaska, digging through snow for a decades-old corpse is a seasonal activity.

A Fairbanks grand jury indicted Popps on June 25, and Michigan state police arrested him on July 16. He's currently held without bond in Kalamazoo County jail, pending transfer to Alaska. If convicted, he faces 10 to 99 years in prison - plenty of time to reflect on the wisdom of snitching on yourself.