Inset: Antres Holliness-Ransom (Allen County Sheriff”s Office). Background: The 2900 block of Schele Avenue in Fort Wayne, Indiana (Google Maps).
An Indiana man faces serious charges following the tragic death of a woman in Fort Wayne. Authorities have charged 28-year-old Antres Holliness-Ransom with murder after he allegedly shot Jasmine Haywood, also 28, in the forehead. This case took a significant turn due to a crucial text message from a witness, which provided the investigators with a pivotal lead.
Haywood’s lifeless body was discovered just before midnight on October 17, within an apartment located on the 2900 block of Schele Avenue. When officers arrived, they found her on the bedroom floor, having suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the forehead, with her face showing “significant damage,” according to court documents acquired by WPTA, the local ABC and NBC affiliate.
Upon arrival, officers pronounced Haywood dead at the scene. The investigation into the apartment, conducted with the consent of the tenant, unveiled several critical pieces of evidence. Among the grisly findings were a blood-stained Glock handgun situated between Haywood’s feet, a shell casing hidden in a dresser drawer, and a semi-automatic rifle with an obliterated serial number stashed under the bed, as detailed by police reports.
This tragic incident and the subsequent developments underscore the complex and often heart-wrenching nature of such criminal cases. The investigation continues as the community grapples with the loss of a young life.
The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.
The person renting the apartment gave investigators permission to search inside — a search that resulted in the discovery of a blood-covered Glock located between the victim’s feet, a shell casing in a dresser drawer, and a semi-automatic rifle under the bed with a destroyed serial number, according to law enforcement.
That search was reportedly only the beginning. Inside of one dresser drawer, investigators discovered blood and tissue that appeared to be from Haywood’s face, according to the court records reviewed by the TV station.
Also curious was what was not present, authorities said.
Surveillance footage allegedly captured Haywood carrying a phone the day she died, but no phone was found at the scene. Then came a text from someone who claimed to know more about the crime.
“You can’t open a door if someone is holding a gun to your head telling you to get rid of them or he gonna shoot me then after he held us in there his girl is found dead ‘suicide,’” read the text to a detective working on the case, WPTA reported. “I’m leaving town I’m not coming back they have me scared and if I talk this time I will die for sure.”
This witness reportedly said they were also held inside an apartment by two men who would not let them out — and that one of the men pistol-whipped Haywood because she owed him money. An autopsy was conducted on Haywood, finding that she died from a gunshot wound to the forehead.
Surveillance video also showed that a car driven by Holliness-Ransom was at the apartment building around the time Haywood was believed to have been killed, according to local CBS affiliate WANE. Police also allegedly tracked the victim’s phone and tied it to Holliness-Ransom.
Furthermore, when the witness was asked if the shooter’s name was Antres, they replied, “uh-huh,” the court documents said.
Holliness-Ransom was charged with the murder on Thursday and booked into the Allen County Confinement Facility on no bond.
He has a first court appearance scheduled for Monday, court records show.
