North Dakota AG, BCI hand off Davies sex abuse materials case to Cass County State’s Attorney

By: Bobby Falat

FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) – The North Dakota Attorney General’s Office and the Bureau of Criminal Investigation have completed their investigative work in the Davies High School child sex abuse material case, submitting all findings to the Cass County State’s Attorney’s Office for charging review.

“The Attorney General’s Office and the ND BCI have overseen and conducted this investigation,” the AG’s office said in a statement. “All investigative materials have been submitted to the Cass County State’s Attorney’s Office for charging review and determination.”

Cass County State’s Attorney Kim Hegvik offered little detail on what comes next, citing legal restrictions tied to juvenile cases.

“In North Dakota, juvenile cases, records, and court proceedings are confidential and not open to the public,” Hegvik said. “I am prohibited by law from discussing any matters that may be handled in juvenile court. I will not be providing further comment at this time.”

Background

The investigation stems from a case first reported to a school resource officer in April 2025. Investigators believe CSAM was created in 2023 and initially shared by a high school student via Snapchat. The formal investigation was launched in May 2025.

As Valley News Live first reported Sept. 23, 2025, students at Davies High School came under investigation by the BCI for allegedly creating and distributing sexually explicit images on Snapchat. The Fargo Public School District said it was made aware of the investigation Sept. 22 and cooperated with a search warrant executed at Davies for the personal property of specific students.

In a press conference on Sept. 30, 2025, Attorney General Drew Wrigley said the investigation had uncovered a “web of Snapchat accounts” that received, and in some cases shared, CSAM. An electronic trail from the initial victim led investigators to 24 phones. Search warrants were then executed on 30 additional phones, with at least 20 seized.

Wrigley said artificial intelligence was used to create images in “a great number” of cases already uncovered, and that more schools beyond Davies were involved in the investigation.

Those under investigation range in age; some are still juveniles, while others are now adults, but Wrigley said the majority are still high school students.

Wrigley previously said he intends to pursue state charges, though federal charges remain possible.

“These young people are victims, and they are suffering,” Wrigley said at the Sept. 30 press conference. “It is inappropriate to blame the victims in these instances. Some of the victims are already being harassed. It has to stop, it shouldn’t have started.”

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