Ashley's death investigation was poorly investigated and written off as an accident. This is her story and the case is now being exposed. 

Ashley's body was discovered in a house fire on April 10, 2019, in Crittenden, KY. The fire ignited around 4 a.m., with the first 911 call coming in at 4:07 a.m.

The house, believed to be vacant, was notorious in Crittenden for being a haven for drug dealers. Positioned less than ten feet from the road and directly across from a store, it was a focal point of concern for local residents. In the days leading up to the fire, from April 5th to April 9th, State Police received four complaints regarding the property—reports of a fire on the back porch, people lingering with lights on, generators in use, and suspected drug activity. On the morning of the blaze, a 911 call was made about a man slumped over in a red truck.

Ashley's red van was parked in the back driveway. Detectives noted that the front passenger door was unlocked, and her driver's license along with other cards were scattered across the floorboard. Despite her mother's pleas to fingerprint the van, it was never examined for potential evidence. Approximately a month later, Ashley's brothers visited the house before her funeral and found the van had been vandalized. Upon approaching it, they noticed items still inside and contacted the authorities for clarification. The detective informed them that due to the vandalism, those items could not be logged as evidence. This raises an important question: why weren’t these items secured earlier?

Inside her van were the belongings of an individual, including a Bible, a baby blanket, court documents, and his government-issued ID. We reached out to him to inquire about why his items were in her van. He confessed to spending time with Ashley and explained that he was staying at her house because he had no other place to go. He mentioned that they had only recently met and that they were hanging out there along with a few other friends. Despite this, he denied having any knowledge about how the fire started or who might be responsible. As our conversation progressed, he became increasingly agitated, claiming, "These guys are after me," "They have my place rigged to burn," and "I don't know if you're affiliated with them; this feels like a test." He went on to describe the people he feared as evil, asserting that they were willing to hurt anyone. Additionally, he denied any awareness of what had happened to her. A few days later, he contacted us again, asking if we could mail him his belongings. His ex-wife then reached out, shedding light on his character. She described him as a master manipulator who often attempts to elicit sympathy from others. She expressed her belief that he had been involved in something sinister, especially after he called her in a panic about the fire. Subsequently, she and their child had been moving from hotel to hotel, fearful of what might ensue.

On the night before the fire, Marlene received a text from 859-xxx-xxxx, informing her that Ashley was suffering from food poisoning and wouldn't be coming home. If Ashley hadn’t improved by morning, Marlene mentioned that her husband would come to retrieve her. Unfortunately, Ashley never made it back. This number was reported to the detectives multiple times, yet no explanation about the messages Marlene received was ever provided. Why was this crucial information seemingly overlooked in the investigation? Shouldn't it have prompted a closer examination of the number and its connection to Ashley?

We reached out to a witness featured in one of the news reports. She recounted seeing two men and a woman physically assaulting another woman right in front of the house just before sunset. She was unwavering in her belief that the incident wasn’t an accident, asserting that the fire had been deliberately set. Additionally, she noted her propane tank was missing from her yard grill. After we informed the detective of her account, we later discovered she told him a completely different story, claiming she had no recollection of any fight and knew nothing about the fire. When I contacted her to ask about her supposed 911 call, she was quite unfriendly. She insisted she hadn’t called anyone and requested to be left alone, despite us having only reached out to her twice.

The next individual we tried to contact was the man last seen with Ashley. He did not respond, so we reached out to his mother. She revealed that her son was aware of the situation and knew the identities of those responsible for the fire. She explained that her son had been with Ashley Yocum and another girl named Ashley that day to help the latter move. During the move, the other Ashley took belongings that didn’t belong to her. Although Ashley Yocum was simply giving her a ride, she ended up being blamed. The mother confirmed this and was recorded. Allegedly, the other Ashley suggested that Ashley Y and her companion drop off those items to avoid getting caught while they were driving around. After learning about what happened to Ashley Yocum, the mother admitted to helping her son discard the belongings, thinking the police would eventually arrive to ask questions. Unfortunately, they never came.

After we made contact with the mother, her son responded. He wasn't as talkative about the situation and denied any involvement. He had shared a video with us that contained footage of him and Ashley riding in her van 2 or 3 days before she died. She was laughing and driving while he was singing and recording. He explained that he had more information about what happened but requested money through Cash-app. He explained that this group of "brothers" was not something to mess with and he won't do it for nothing. That information was never provided to us. Even though this guy left town in fear of his life, he wasn't too hard to locate. He ended up in jail but was never questioned about his knowledge or place in the stolen stuff. Well... at least not until 2 and a half years later when we contacted the Major. Unfortunately, it was not successful. The detective explained that when he interviewed him, he only stated that the stolen stuff wasn't worth any body's life and wasn't providing any kind of useful info. It seems like by him stating that, it gave credit to his mother's explanation about what happened and why.

After we requested all the records pertaining to this case, we noticed something that was never brought to our attention.