Who are arrested Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira’s parents?

April 14, 2023

Jack Teixeira, the 21-year-old Air National Guardsman who was arrested Thursday over the leak of classified US intelligence documents, hails from a patriotic family with a history of military service.

Teixeira, who was taken into custody at his mother’s home in North Dighton, Mass., followed his stepfather into the Air National Guard’s 102nd Intelligence Wing.

His mother has dedicated herself to a slew of nonprofit organizations serving veterans over the years.

For Teixeira’s family, his shocking arrest for allegedly leaking highly sensitive intelligence records online appears to clash with their decades of military service and patriotic zeal.

Here’s what we know so far about the Guardsman’s parents and family:

Who are Jack Teixeira’s parents?

Teixeira’s mom, Dawn Dufault, and his stepdad, Thomas Dufault, live in the single-family home in North Dighton, east of Providence, RI, where the the Guardsman was nabbed by federal agents.

It wasn’t immediately clear how long Dawn and Thomas have been married.

Dawn and Thomas Dufault — Jack Teixeira’s mom, Dawn Dufault (center), and stepdad, Thomas Dufault (right), have a history of military ties.

Jack Teixeira — Teixeira, who was taken into custody at his home in North Dighton, Mass., on Thursday, followed his stepfather, Thomas Dufault, into the military.

Thomas Dufault retired from the military in April 2019 after 34 years of service, including a stint as master sergeant in the same 102nd Intelligence Wing that his stepson ended up joining months later. Dufault was pictured snapping off a salute at a retirement ceremony at Joint Base Cape Cod, where Teixeira was also stationed.

Teixeira’s stepdad also has pilot, mechanic and real estate licenses, according to online records.

Here’s what we know about Jack Teixeira and the leaked docs

Who is Teixeira?

A 21-year-old Massachusetts Air National Guardsman, an enlisted member of the 102nd Intelligence Wing located at Joint Base Cape Cod.

Why was he arrested?

The arrest came after Teixeira was identified as a person of interest in the case, which was opened last week when some of the shared documents were discovered on Russian Telegram channels.

Reports indicate Teixeira was a prominent figure in the “Thug Shakers Central” Discord group, where the documents initially appeared.

What information is in the leaked documents?

The classified documents from the Department of Defense contained key information about America’s espionage efforts against Russia, as well as details about Ukraine’s military planning.

How were the documents leaked?

The classified pages were disseminated on the small Discord channel Thug Shaker Central, linked to fans of the YouTuber Oxide.

Learn more about the leaks and the channel Thug Shaker Central

Teixeira’s mom, Dawn, has long supported veteran-oriented nonprofit organizations, including the Massachusetts Military Heroes Fund and Home for Our Troops. She also briefly worked for the Massachusetts Department of Veterans Services between 2014 and 2015, according to her LinkedIn profile.

Since 2017, Dawn has been running a florist business — Bayberry Farm & Flower Company — out of the home where Teixeira was picked up Thursday.

A Veteran's Day Facebook post by Jack's mom — Teixeira’s mom, Dawn, has posted Veterans Day tributes for her son, husband, stepson and father-in-law on her flower shop’s Facebook page.

Dawn regularly took to her flower shop’s Facebook page to praise her son’s achievements and post photos of her military family members on Veterans Day.

“Jack is on his way home today, tech school complete, ready to start his career in the Air National Guard!” she wrote alongside a photo of a welcome-home balloon on June 3, 2021.

What do we know about Jack’s biological father?

Little is known about Jack Michael Teixeira — the Guardsman’s biological dad.

He is believed to have separated from his ex-wife when their son was younger, but it wasn’t immediately clear when.

The elder Teixeira still lives in the same town as his ex-wife, according to online records.

A welcome home balloon Jack's mom posted for him — Dawn also regularly takes to her flower shop’s Facebook page to praise her son’s achievements.

Have Teixeira’s parents said anything about his arrest?

Teixeira’s parents haven’t commented publicly since the 21-year-old was hauled away in handcuffs from the family home.

In the hours before her son was publicly identified as a suspect by the feds, Dawn spoke to a New York Times reporter outside her home to confirm that Teixeira was a member of the Air National Guard.

She only said that he had been recently working overnight shifts at the Cape Cod base and had changed his phone number in the last few days.

After Teixeira was spotted arriving at the home and heading inside, an unidentified man standing outside the home told reporters that the Guardsman would need to lawyer up.