A sprawling child exploitation investigation by the Vancouver Police Department has resulted in the arrest of a Vancouver man and the death of a prominent local pediatrician, who was found deceased of an apparent suicide just a day after a felony warrant was issued for his arrest.
The investigation, which involves the Vancouver Police Department and the Clark County Sheriff’s Office, began in February 2026.
Authorities reported receiving a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children regarding child sex abuse material traced to a Vancouver IP address.
According to police, detectives from the Digital Evidence Cybercrime Unit and the Children’s Justice Center identified Chad Hartley as a suspect.
On April 29, investigators apprehended Hartley during a pedestrian stop. A search warrant was subsequently executed at his Vancouver home.
Hartley was booked into the Clark County Jail facing severe charges: four counts of dealing in child pornography II, four counts of possession of child pornography, and one count of child molestation I.
The investigation quickly widened when detectives discovered Hartley’s association with Michael R. Wilmington, a local pediatrician affiliated with multiple medical facilities across the Portland and Vancouver area.
According to the Vancouver Police, Wilmington allegedly hosted “naked sleepovers” with young children at his residence in La Center, Washington.
On April 30, law enforcement served a search warrant at Wilmington’s home, seizing numerous items of evidence. The following day, detectives obtained additional information alleging Wilmington had molested a child at his home, prompting authorities to issue a felony warrant for child molestation I.
However, before Wilmington could be taken into custody, Vancouver Police were notified on May 2 that he had been found deceased in Lewis County. Officials stated the cause of death was an apparent suicide.
The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office is currently conducting a separate death investigation.
With the primary investigation still active and ongoing, detectives are urgently appealing to the community for assistance.
Law enforcement is asking anyone who is aware of a child who may have had unsupervised contact with either Chad Hartley or Michael Wilmington to immediately contact their local law enforcement agency.
Authorities have stated that no additional information is being released at this time to protect the integrity of the active case.
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