[1][2] Hale spent that night in jail;[1] police reported that he was held in "protective custody" pending the ruling of a coroner's jury.

[2][3] Both fathers testified at the inquest; John Connally stated that his daughter was pregnant and had been despondent over the move to Florida.

[3] After 45 minutes of deliberations, Hale was cleared of responsibility for Kathleen's death when the jury ruled it to be an accident.

A self-proclaimed devout Christian, Hale moved his family of 17 to Alaska from New Mexico in 1998 and kept them isolated from nearly all outside influences, including churches.

In 2005, family members told police that Hale had routinely beaten and raped his eldest daughter for years.

[1][4] In 2013 a book was published by Tom Kizzia titled Pilgrim's Wilderness: A True Story of Faith and Madness on the Alaska Frontier, chronicling Hale's life with a focus on his time in McCarthy.