Juneau police say a family member cleaning out a property after Sheryl Ann McDonald-Pasquan died on July 14, 2025, found a locked chest freezer in a storage shed. Inside was a tarp-wrapped body later identified as her husband, Ross Pasquan. The Alaska State Medical Examiner’s Office determined he died of natural causes related to severe cardiovascular disease, and investigators believe his remains were placed in the freezer sometime between 2018 and 2025.
Police say McDonald-Pasquan concealed his death and continued applying for and receiving benefits in his name, including Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend payments, Social Security, and retirement funds. One provider was still depositing monthly payments into his account until July 2026, a year after her death.
The investigation has since closed because both individuals at the center of the case have passed, meaning no charges will be filed. That leaves the larger question of how a death can go unreported for years and how benefit providers verify whether a recipient is still alive. What do you think should change about how these benefits are verified?
