Woman Kept Dead Husband’s Body in Freezer While Living on His Benefits

An Alaska woman allegedly concealed her husband’s remains in a chest freezer for years while continuing to collect his government and retirement benefits, police said. She reportedly told others that he had been transferred to a care facility outside Juneau.

Ross Pasquan’s remains were found in a storage shed in Juneau on July 19, after a family member began cleaning out the property following the death of his wife, Sheryl Ann McDonald-Pasquan, according to a Juneau Police Department press release.

Pasquan’s body was reportedly wrapped in a tarp and placed inside the freezer.

“On Sunday, July 19, 2026, at approximately 7:59 p.m., the Juneau Police Department responded to a residence in the 6500 block of Glacier Highway following a report of possible human remains discovered on the property,” the police department said. “The reporting party advised officers they had been cleaning out the residence following the death of a family member when they located what appeared to be human remains inside a chest freezer in a locked outbuilding on the property.”

Investigators identified the remains as those of Pasquan, who would have been 74 when they were found. The State Medical Examiner’s Office determined that he died from natural causes linked to severe cardiovascular disease.

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Police have not determined exactly how long Pasquan’s remains were kept in the freezer. Investigators believe they were placed there sometime between 2018 and 2025. Juneau police said no missing-persons report had ever been filed for Pasquan.

The investigation also uncovered what police described as a yearslong effort to conceal Pasquan’s death and continue receiving his benefits. McDonald-Pasquan allegedly applied for and collected payments in her husband’s name until her own death, including Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend checks, Social Security benefits and retirement payments.

According to local NBC affiliate KTUU, one retirement-benefit provider was allegedly never informed of Pasquan’s death and continued depositing monthly payments into his account through July.

Pasquan had a history of serious health problems, and his wife had been his primary caregiver, according to his obituary. When acquaintances asked about his absence, police said McDonald-Pasquan told them he had been moved to a care facility outside Juneau.

Juneau police said investigators found no evidence that anyone else caused Pasquan’s death, helped hide his remains or assisted in collecting his benefits. The investigation has been closed following McDonald-Pasquan’s death.