This year, Task Force Dawnbreaker has charged a total of 16 individuals with child sexual abuse crimes: 6 Mat-Su residents, 2 Fairbanks residents, 1 Kodiak resident, 1 Anchorage resident, 1 Kenai resident, 1 Juneau resident, and 4 residents of the Metlakatla Indian Community.
Task Force Dawnbreaker is comprised of the Alaska Bureau of Investigation’s Technical Crimes Unit (ABI TCU), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and relevant local police departments. The task force focuses on cracking major child sexual abuse cases.
On December 11, Dawnbreaker arrested Wasilla resident Ryan McDonough and charged him with 10 counts of Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material. McDonough worked as a prominent cardiologist and was appointed to the Alaska State Medical Board. He resigned from the Alaska State Medical Board in November.
This past weekend, after McDonough was released on a $50,000 bail, McDonough’s home was destroyed in a fire. Troopers found a dead man, believed to be Ryan McDonough, inside the home after the fire was extinguished. The body has been sent to the State Medical Examiner’s Office for positive identification and autopsy. All other residents of the home are safe.
Below is a full list of the child sexual abuse crimes cracked by Task Force Dawnbreaker in 2025:
November 13: Terry Stiefel of Fairbanks is indicted on 3 counts of Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM). Stiefel had downloaded CSAM at his place of residence and at the Clear Air Force Station, his place of employment.
October 14: Joseph Baxter of Sutton is charged with 2 counts of CSAM Distribution and 2 counts of CSAM Possession. Baxter was accused of soliciting sexually explicit images and sexual contact of an 11-year-old girl.
Sept 23: Raymond Titus of Fairbanks is charged with 3 counts of CSAM Possession. Troopers arrested Titus after receiving numerous tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) that a Fairbanks resident had uploaded CSAM to a website.
June 10: Jason Keller of Wasilla is charged with Attempted Sexual Abuse of a Minor II, Distributing Indecent Material to a Minor, Exploitation of a Minor, and Tampering with Evidence. Keller had solicited a 13-year-old girl for intercourse and distributed explicit images to her.
May 24: Justen Walker of Wasilla is charged with Sexual Abuse of a Minor II. After fleeing and going into hiding for 6 days, AST South Central SWAT and the Wasilla Police Department found and arrested Walker for inappropriately touching a 16-year-old girl.
May 15: Justine Anderson of Ouzinkie is charged with 5 counts of CSAM Possession. Dawnbreaker arrested Anderson after investigating the distribution of over 70 CSAM videos from an Ouzinkie residence.
May 5: Robert Campbell of Anchorage is charged with 1 count of CSAM Distribution and 5 counts of CSAM Possession. Campbell was found in possession of thousands of CSAM files.
April 22: Vernon Hinkle of Wasilla is charged with 10 counts of CSAM Possession, Distribution of CSAM, and Distribution of Indecent Material to a Minor. After receiving a report from a United Kingdom law enforcement agency, Dawnbreaker identified Hinkle as a user on a social media platform who was attempting to exploit underage minors.
March 26: Dakota J. Conner of Soldotna is charged with 5 counts of CSAM possession and 5 counts of CSAM distribution. Conner was identified as a Kik user who uploaded approximately 45 videos containing CSAM.
March 15: Nithaniel Hall of Wasilla is charged with 10 counts of Possession of Child Pornography. Hall was arrested for online sexual exploitation of a 15-year-old girl living in Moore, Oklahoma.
Feb 27: Taylor Funderburk of Juneau is charged with Possession of Child Pornography, Distribution of Child Pornography, and Violating Conditions of Release. Dispatch text did not provide any additional details of the case.
Feb 2-6: Task Force Dawnbreaker worked with many organizations to conduct a massive investigation of alleged child sexual abuse crimes committed in the Metlakatla Indian Community. Metlakatla is located on the Annette Islands and is the only Indian Reserve in Alaska. Four individuals were arrested and charged: James Leif Caspersen with second- and third-degree Assault, fourth-degree Assault, and fourth-degree Criminal Mischief; Byron Hayward with third- and fourth-degree Assault, and third-degree Criminal Mischief; Harry Olsen with second- and third-degree Sexual Abuse of a Minor; and Caleb Jametski with Distribution and Possession of CSAM.
The Metlakatla investigation was a five-day operation in which 22 children were interviewed. The investigation was assisted by the U.S. Coast Guard, Metlakatla Indian Community members, Alaska State Troopers, Alaska Wildlife Troopers, Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, Department of Law Office of Special Prosecutions, the Alaska Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, Tundra Women’s Coalition, The Children’s Place, WISH, AWARE, and S.A.F.E. Child Advocacy Center.
Don’t give them 100 years of prison, just dump them in the deepest pit in the ocean.