Home / Crime and Justice / Doctor charged with child porn dies in suspicious fire
Doctor charged with child porn dies in suspicious fire
16 Dec
Summary
- Alaska doctor Ryan McDonough died in a house fire shortly after charges.
- Investigators suspect the doctor intentionally set the blaze himself.
- McDonough was fired after pleading not guilty to child porn charges.
A doctor facing child pornography charges, Ryan McDonough, has died in a suspicious house fire. The 46-year-old was found deceased in his Wasilla home after firefighters extinguished a blaze that fully engulfed the residence. Alaska State Troopers investigating the incident strongly suspect McDonough intentionally started the fire himself.
McDonough had been arrested just last week as part of a sting operation and was subsequently fired from his role as an interventional cardiologist at Mat-Su Regional Medical Center. He had pleaded not guilty to multiple counts of possessing child sexual abuse material before his death. The investigation began after a tip about child sexual abuse material being uploaded to his Dropbox account.
Previously, McDonough had resigned from the state Medical Board in November after being appointed in August. His resignation reportedly occurred after he failed to attend board meetings, which prevented the creation of new policies. Governor Mike Dunleavy's office stated they were unaware of McDonough's investigation at the time of his appointment.
