Police found no evidence Ross Pasquan was killed, but investigators say his wife hid his death and kept seeking payments in his name.
JUNEAU, Alaska — A Juneau woman concealed her husband’s death and continued applying for and receiving benefits in his name while his remains were kept inside a chest freezer, police said after completing an investigation that began when the remains were discovered in July.
The Juneau Police Department said Ross Anthony Pasquan, who would have been 74 when his remains were found, died of natural causes related to severe cardiovascular disease. Investigators said they found no evidence that another person caused his death. Police concluded that his wife, Sheryl Ann McDonald-Pasquan, concealed the death while benefits continued in Pasquan’s name, including Alaska Permanent Fund Dividends, Social Security benefits and retirement payments. McDonald-Pasquan died of natural causes on July 14, 2025, about a year before the discovery.
The case began July 19, 2026, when a person who had been cleaning out McDonald-Pasquan’s property in the 6500 block of Glacier Highway reported finding what appeared to be human remains inside a locked chest freezer in a storage shed. Police said the person found a key, opened the freezer and saw a tarp-wrapped object before closing it and going to the Juneau Police Department. Officers and investigators went to the property and confirmed that human remains were inside. The remains were taken to the State Medical Examiner’s Office in Anchorage and were positively identified as Pasquan on July 25.
Investigators could not determine exactly when Pasquan died or precisely how long his remains were inside the freezer. Police said the freezer was manufactured in 2018, and McDonald-Pasquan died in July 2025. Based on those dates, investigators believe Pasquan’s remains were placed inside the freezer sometime between 2018 and 2025. Authorities stressed that they could not establish a reliable timeline, meaning the evidence does not show that the remains were necessarily stored there for that entire period. Pasquan had not been reported missing before his remains were discovered.
Witnesses told investigators that Pasquan had a history of significant health problems and that McDonald-Pasquan had served as his primary caregiver. Police said witnesses who noticed his absence were told by McDonald-Pasquan that her husband had moved to a care facility outside Juneau. Deputy Police Chief Krag Campbell told KTOO that investigators received differing accounts about when Pasquan was last seen and could not corroborate enough of them to establish a firm date of death.
Financial records and witness interviews led police to conclude that McDonald-Pasquan continued applying for and receiving benefits in her husband’s name after his death. Campbell said the payments included Permanent Fund Dividends, Social Security and retirement benefits. Investigators also learned that one retirement benefit provider had not been notified of Pasquan’s death and continued making monthly deposits into his account through July 2026, the same month his remains were discovered. Police have not established how much money was paid after Pasquan died because investigators do not know when his death occurred.
The medical examiner’s finding resolved one of the major questions that surrounded the discovery. When Pasquan’s remains were first identified in July, police were still investigating the circumstances of his death and had not ruled out homicide. The medical examiner later determined that severe cardiovascular disease caused his death and classified it as natural. Police said their investigation found no evidence that anyone else caused Pasquan’s death or helped McDonald-Pasquan conceal his remains or collect benefits in his name.
The investigation also left authorities without a person who could be prosecuted over the alleged concealment and benefit collection. McDonald-Pasquan had already been dead for about a year when Pasquan’s remains were discovered. Police therefore closed the investigation into the collection of benefits because she was deceased. The department also closed its investigation into Pasquan’s death after the medical examiner determined that he died naturally. The police findings about McDonald-Pasquan’s conduct were not tested in a criminal case.
Pasquan’s remains were also the subject of proceedings involving their disposition. KTOO reported that the state medical examiner filed a petition concerning an unclaimed body in late August. Under Alaska law, the state Department of Health can ask a court for authorization to bury or cremate remains that have not been claimed. Juneau District Court Judge Peggy McCoy authorized the request in early September, according to court records reviewed by KTOO.
Police say the exact date of Pasquan’s death, the precise amount of time his remains were kept in the freezer and the total value of benefits received after his death remain unknown. Campbell said the case is closed, though the department can reopen an investigation if relevant new information emerges.
Author note: Last updated October 6, 2026.