On November 16, 2023, the body of 34-year-old Ashley Nicole Williams, a Caucasian female, was discovered in a wooded area in Maple Valley, Washington. Her death was the result of a gunshot wound to the chest. Alongside her, authorities also found the body of 57-year-old Robert Leroy Frederick Riley, who had also been shot.
Investigators believe that Williams was not the primary target of the attack. It is thought that she was killed because she was a witness to the murder of Riley, which stemmed from a drug deal that went awry. Her body, along with Riley's, was found discarded in the bushes and covered with trash near Southeast 252nd Street and 238th Avenue Southeast. It was determined that they were not killed at that location but were moved there after their deaths. In addition to being shot, court documents revealed that Williams had been stabbed more than 20 times.
Ashley, a mother of five children, had reportedly been living in Maple Valley in what she described as a "safe place." Friends and family remember her as a caring person and a wonderful mother. She had struggled with addiction, and two of her children had been adopted by a foster parent with whom she maintained an open and loving relationship.
In connection with the double homicide, two men, Brandon Gerner, 40, and Joshua Jones, 34, were arrested and charged with their murders. The arrests brought a sense of relief to those who knew Ashley, though her untimely and violent death has left her family and friends devastated.
