Illinois Man Accused of Killing His Ex-Wife After Chasing Her in Her Garage Is Charged with Murder By Escher Walcott

A man who allegedly stabbed his ex-wife to death outside her Illinois home has been charged with her murder.

Ashley Stewart, 41, was killed in her home on Jan. 27. Her husband reported to the police at the time that he saw a man, believed to be her husband, “run after his wife into their garage” on a security camera. A suspect was taken into custody shortly afterwards, PEOPLE previously reported.

The suspect was identified as 44-year-old Ryan Dodd of Aurora, Ill. The Oswego Police Department said in a statement that he was charged on Jan. 29 with five counts of first-degree murder, home invasion, armed violence, residential burglary and aggravated stalking.

“Dodd was processed and booked at the Oswego Police Department and was transported to the Kendall County Jail, where he remains in custody,” the department further noted. 

“The Kendall County Coroner’s Office completed a forensic autopsy on Jan. 29, which indicated that the victim sustained multiple sharp force injuries,” authorities added.

In a Jan. 28 press release, police said that officers found Stewart “unresponsive” inside her home shortly after 1 p.m. local time. She was later pronounced dead by paramedics at the residence. 

“The caller reported that he believed his wife was in danger after observing, via home surveillance, a male subject run after his wife into their garage,” officials said. “The caller believed the male to be the wife’s ex-husband.”

Dodd was detained after an officer spotted him driving down a nearby road half an hour later, according to authorities. 

“The investigation determined that Dodd, who was the victim’s ex-husband, followed her as she entered her residence and attacked and killed her with a knife,” local police said in an update on Jan. 30. 

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A GoFundMe page has been set up to support Stewart’s husband and her six children she leaves behind. 

“Her loss has left an immeasurable void in the lives of those who loved her,” the page read. “Ashley’s husband, Adam Stewart, is now navigating the unimaginable: grieving the loss of his wife while becoming the sole provider and primary caregiver for their two-year-old son, his son Syler, as well as Ashley’s young children.”