By Bobby Falat
FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) – Twenty-seven juveniles have been referred to juvenile court as a result of the Davies High School child sex abuse material investigation, Cass County State’s Attorney Kim Hegvik confirmed.
In a statement, Hegvik said her office is unable to comment further on specific cases due to North Dakota law, which keeps juvenile cases confidential.
“The Cass County State’s Attorney’s Office takes all allegations involving sexual exploitation of minors seriously and works diligently to achieve justice in these cases,” Hegvik said. “The Cass County State’s Attorney’s Office appreciates the collaboration with the Attorney General and the Bureau of Criminal Investigation regarding the investigation.”
Valley News Live has reached out to the North Dakota Attorney General’s Office for additional comment and has not yet received a response.
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. A formal investigation was launched in May 2025.
Valley News Live first reported Sept. 23, 2025, that students at Davies High School were 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.
At a press conference Sept. 30, 2025, Attorney General Drew Wrigley said the investigation 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.
Those under investigation range in age; some are still juveniles, while others are now adults. Wrigley said the majority are still high school students.
