Alaska woman told people her husband was in a care facility, but police say he was in a chest freezer in her shed as she kept collecting his checks

The remains of Ross Pasquan were discovered inside a chest freezer in a storage shed in Juneau, Alaska, in July. This discovery occurred after a family member began clearing out the property following the death of his wife, Sheryl Ann McDonald-Pasquan. Police now say she hid his death to keep collecting his benefits.

According to Law&Crime, officers responded to a residence on Glacier Highway after a report of possible human remains on the property. The reporting party told officers they had been cleaning out the residence when they found what appeared to be human remains in a locked outbuilding. Officers found a body wrapped in a tarp inside the freezer. Investigators eventually determined that the remains belonged to Ross Pasquan.

The State Medical Examiner’s Office conducted an examination and concluded that he died of natural causes related to severe cardiovascular disease. No one ever filed a missing persons report for him. While the exact length of time Ross Pasquan’s remains were kept in the freezer is unknown, police believe they were placed there sometime between 2018 and 2025.

Police say she told everyone he was in a care facility

That window comes from the freezer itself, as it was manufactured in 2018, and McDonald-Pasquan died of natural causes in July 2025. Her death came about a year before the freezer was opened. The investigation revealed an alleged scheme to conceal the death while continuing to collect government and retirement benefits.

Sheryl Ann McDonald-Pasquan reportedly continued applying for and receiving payments in her husband’s name right up until her own death. This included Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend checks, Social Security benefits, and other retirement payments. One retirement benefit provider was allegedly never notified of the death and continued depositing monthly payments into his account through this July, a year after she died.

The police do not know how much money was collected in total, as investigators could not establish when Ross Pasquan died. According to his wife’s obituary, Ross Pasquan had a history of significant health problems, and she had served as his primary caregiver. Whenever people asked about his whereabouts, police say she told them he had been moved to a care facility outside of Juneau.

That explanation appears to have held, as no one who knew the couple reported him missing. The family member reportedly found the key, opened the freezer, closed it again, and went directly to police. Authorities have now closed the investigation.

Investigators found no evidence that anyone else caused the death of Ross Pasquan or assisted his wife in concealing the remains or collecting the benefits. However, police still do not know how she moved her husband’s body into the chest freezer. As Sheryl Ann McDonald-Pasquan is also deceased, no one is expected to face charges over the concealment or the benefits collected in the name of Ross Pasquan.