THE DR. MICHAEL WILMINGTON PEDIATRIC SEXUAL ABUSE CASE 

If your child was a patient of Dr. Michael R. Wilmington, a pediatrician affiliated with medical facilities in the greater Portland–Vancouver area, or his associate, medical assistant Chad Hartley, at PeaceHealth Fisher's Landing clinic in Vancouver, Washington, you may have been impacted by a serious and ongoing investigation into child sexual abuse. 

Wilmington was connected to the alleged sexual abuse of children in his care and was the subject of an active felony warrant at the time of his death on May 2, 2026. Hartley, has been arrested and charged with child molestation and the possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). 

The investigation began in February 2026, when Vancouver Police received a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children linking CSAM to a Vancouver IP address. Detectives identified Hartley as a suspect and took him into custody on April 29, 2026. Through that investigation, detectives connected Hartley to  Wilmington, who was alleged to have hosted naked sleepovers with young children at his La Center, Washington home. A search warrant was executed at Wilmington's home on April 30, seizing numerous items of evidence. By May 1, investigators had connected Wilmington to the sexual abuse of a child and issued a felony warrant for first-degree child molestation. Wilmington was found dead the following day in an apparent suicide. 

Hartley was booked into the Clark County Jail on four counts of second-degree dealing in child pornography, four counts of possession of child pornography, and one count of first-degree child molestation. Kaiser Permanente confirmed that Wilmington was a physician at their Salmon Creek Medical Office and terminated his employment and access to all facilities immediately upon learning of the allegations on April 30. 

Wilmington's death does not end this story. The institutions that employed these men and gave them access to children bear responsibility for the environments they created and the safeguards they failed to implement. Pitt McGehee Palmer Bonanni & Rivers is dedicated to holding any institution whose negligence allowed this abuse to occur or continue accountable and bringing justice to the survivors and families affected. If your child had unsupervised contact with either Michael Wilmington or Chad Hartley, we encourage you to come forward.