Insets: Ryan Dodd (Oswego police) and Ashley Stewart (GoFundMe). Background: The 400 block of Valentine Way in Oswego, Illinois, where Dodd allegedly killed Stewart (WMAQ).
In a shocking incident in Illinois, a man allegedly chased his ex-wife into her home and fatally stabbed her, while her new husband watched the tragic scene unfold on security footage.
Ryan D. Dodd, aged 44, faces charges including first-degree murder, home invasion, armed violence, residential burglary, and aggravated stalking in connection with the death of 41-year-old Ashley Stewart. The incident took place in Oswego, approximately 40 miles west of Chicago.
Police were alerted shortly after 1 p.m. on Tuesday to a home invasion in the 400 block of Valentine Way. Stewart’s husband dialed 911 after witnessing, via surveillance cameras, a man pursuing his wife into the garage. Upon arrival, officers discovered that Stewart had already succumbed to multiple stab wounds. Her husband identified the suspect as Dodd, Stewart’s former spouse.
Dodd was apprehended around 30 minutes following the murder when an officer located his vehicle and detained him. Investigators allege that Dodd trailed Stewart into her residence and assaulted her. The police released surveillance images purportedly showing Dodd concealing himself behind bushes. Formal charges were filed by prosecutors on Thursday, and Dodd is currently being held without bail at the Kendall County Jail, with a court appearance scheduled for March 9.
Stewart is survived by six children, including a 2-year-old son.
“She was a devoted wife and loving mother, and her loss has left an immeasurable void in the lives of those who loved her,” stated a GoFundMe page dedicated to her memory.
One of her friends told local NBC affiliate WMAQ that Stewart always put her family first.
“She really, really loved her family. She loved her kids,” Robin Ross said. “Nobody could ever, ever mistake how much love she put into her family.”
Ross called her friend a “genuine, beautiful life spirit” who had a “bright future ahead of her.”
“She would drop anything she needed to do to help out anybody, no matter,” Ross said in an interview with WMAQ.
