Nine New Child Pornography Counts Filed Against Excelsior Springs Youth Volunteer; Police Say More Victims Likely

Excelsior Springs, Mo. (December 22, 2025) – Clay County prosecutors have filed nine additional counts of possession of child pornography against Donald Aaron Axtell, the former youth volunteer at Excelsior Springs Baptist Church, already charged with statutory rape and furnishing pornographic material to a minor. His bond has now been raised to $250,000 cash only, according to online court records.

Axtell, 37, now faces a total of twelve charges: one count of second-degree statutory rape, ten counts of possession of child pornography, and one count of furnishing pornographic material to a minor. All of the new counts stem from the original reported victim in the case, an Excelsior Springs teenager who came forward to police earlier this year.

How police took Axtell into custody

Excelsior Springs Police Lieutenant Ryan Dowdy said officers arrested Axtell on November 13.

Detectives learned that Axtell was at work. Because the vehicle he drove was not registered in his name, officers had to narrow down which car he was using and when he typically came home. Once they had a likely match, they entered that vehicle into the city’s camera system and waited for it to return to town.

“When that car hit the camera system coming back into town, we moved quickly to take him into custody,” Dowdy said. He and Corporal Hyatt stayed past their shift so they could help intercept the vehicle. They conducted a traffic stop as Axtell was driving toward his house and took him into custody on an initial 24-hour hold.

Dowdy said officers chose to arrest him in the car rather than at his home because a traffic stop is a more controlled environment.

“A car is very familiar to us,” he said. “We know what to expect. A house is different; people can have weapons anywhere.” He added that, in his experience, suspects in sex-crimes cases can be especially desperate, and making the arrest in a controlled setting helped reduce the risk of anyone being hurt, including Axtell.

Search warrant leads to additional charges

After the arrest, detectives began a forensic review of Axtell’s phone.

“There were thousands of images,” Dowdy said. “Not all of them were obscene, but every single one had to be reviewed.”

What they found on the phone led investigators to seek a search warrant for Axtell’s home. Officers executed that warrant on December 11, looking for additional electronic devices and any other images or evidence of crimes.

During the execution of the warrant, multiple electronic devices were collected, including a hidden electronic device.

Detectives seized the device along with other electronic media from the home. Dowdy said investigators and prosecutors then used images connected to the original victim, recovered during that digital forensic work, to support the nine new child pornography counts now filed in the case.

Police working to identify and contact potential additional victims

Dowdy said the images recovered from Axtell’s devices have also led investigators to identify other possible victims, some of whom are now adults.

“Those images identify other victims and [the detective] has been following up with them to see if they want to pursue charges or not,” Dowdy said. He added that some of the individuals appear to have known Axtell when they were younger, and some are even related to him.

“Our goal has been to make sure that as soon as we get information, we keep updating the prosecutor’s office,” Dowdy said. “We want to give them enough evidence to hopefully keep him away from the public for as long as possible.”

Police expect that additional victims may come forward in the coming weeks. Dowdy urged anyone who believes they were harmed by Axtell, or anyone who may have information about other victims, to contact law enforcement.

“If you know of something, or you know someone who may have been a victim in this case, please contact law enforcement,” he said. “Even if they’re scared or embarrassed, at the very least, we want to talk to them and offer them the resources they need if they’ve been victimized.”

Call for information and support

As the case develops, police and advocates say more people in the community may recognize signs of abuse in their own lives or the lives of people they care about.

Anyone with information about this case or about possible additional victims is asked to contact the Excelsior Springs Police Department at 816-630-2000.

Concerns about abuse or neglect involving a child in Missouri can be reported to the state hotline at 1-800-392-3738, which is available 24 hours a day.

Survivors of sexual abuse can also contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or chat online at RAINN.org for confidential support and resources.

For those who have been harmed in religious or family settings, taking the first step to talk with someone can be especially difficult. Investigators emphasized that coming forward is entirely voluntary and that their goal is to listen, document what happened, and connect people with support, whether or not they ultimately choose to pursue charges.