Ashley R. Martinez
Ashley left her medications, her new pet cat, and a family that loved her after vanishing one sunny day at the local pool. A bright and funny girl there is hope that she could be alive today.
My deepest respect and regards to Ashley's family. Many people hope that one day they will have the closure they deserve. Please, be considerate when posting personal opinions about Ashley. To this day her mother actively honors her daughter and runs a Facebook page dedicated to her.
This post is a re-write of my past posts on this case. I've organized the information better and updated it to my newer style/ethics. Feel free to use my work as you wish, credit is always nice but not my goal. Grammar is not a talent of mine, I know mistakes bother people so if you need to correct me it will not hurt my feelings.
The Story
The date is July 6th, 2004 and it's a Tuesday after the Fourth Of July weekend in small-town Saint Joseph, Missouri. St. Joseph is a historical town that is close to Kansas City, Missouri and has a known history of criminal run-off from the bigger city. Saint Joseph is also well-known for its drug use most often meth. It's not an all-bad town and has many pockets of community there. According to the historical weather for the day the high is 81 degrees with a humidity level of 81%. It was also partly cloudy. Around noon Ashley's mother T.M. took Ashley and her brother to the "Krug Park" pool at dropped them off. This is and was a very common thing for parents today in this area. Ashley's family also cited that this activity was something they typically did. The Pool and even though locals call this the Krug Park pool it's actually called Northwest Complex and it's across from Krug Part. It still operates to this day and has very few layout changes. Landscaping has begun around the pool area in the 2019 timeframe. The pool has a small park next to it/behind it a bit and a very large park across the street.
Ashley was 15 years old at the time and her brother was 13 years old. T.M. returned "a few hours" later and Ashley was gone but her brother was not. Ashley was supposed to have kept an eye on her younger brother.
Ashley's brother and Ashley's friends plus a few other witnesses all said that Ashley left that day on her own accord with a friend of hers. Ashley's best friend T.B.K. said she thought Ashley went to the convenience store. *Ashley's young brother didn't remember anything at first but after a bit remembered these details.
According to those people, the person she had left with was then 32-year-old Christopher Hart convicted felon. The LE has gone back and forth on if Hart is involved and if he's a suspect or a person of interest.
Investigation
(July 6th, 2004) After the vanishing in the following days, a police report was filed and friends of Ashley were called in an attempt to locate her. St. Joe. LE does not have a waiting period for missing persons so an attempt to locate them was issued to all available police in the area when the report was filed. Then Ashley was entered into the missing person database. Ashley was at first entered as a "runaway" falling under one of six classifications of missing persons.
T.M. discovers the rumor about Hart and Ashley in the following days. T.M. hears about the possible relationship between the two and the possible promises from Hart to take Ashley away to California. The details about these rumors unravel over time so it is unclear when information is taken to the police and the timeline of learning these tidbits of info. LE does at a later date confirm they have witness statements connecting Hart and Ashley and it seems that it's a common belief that Hart is involved.
The news reported that on the day Ashley vanished; Hart was under electronic home confinement for a second-degree assault conviction and drug possession, unlawful use of a weapon, and resisting arrest. It was reported in the news that Hart took off his electronic bracelet, left with a packed car, and stopped by someone's house declaring he was on his way to pick up Ashley.
The family at first agreed that it was possible that Ashley had run away. Ashley had run away before one time in 2001 but she had returned home after one day on her own accord. Ashley did not leave the state. Ashley would have been in eighth grade at the time
*I would like to know if she had packed or taken anything with her on this runaway attempt. Did she give a reason for running away? Who did she run away to or with?
Ashley's family was very close-knit and there seems to be no obvious reason for her to leave them besides maybe not wanting to follow house rules.
"Nobody would walk away from 15 years of your life and never call anyone, never have contact with anyone, no friend, nobody. So that right there is extremely scary." (T.M/T.N St. Joe News-Press Jan 30, 2011)
Ashley did not bring anything with her to the pool that day besides the clothes she was wearing. Ashley left all her medications and her brand new kitten that she adopted only two months earlier.
(Sep 25th, 2004) Ashley is updated from runaway to an "Endangered Runaway."
(2004) J.V. The lead investigator at the time attempted to speak with Hart but he refuses. T.M. Ashley's mother is spending a great effort to try to spread the word about Ashley's story as far as 45+ websites and starts her own domains including "ashley.4ourangel.com", "Finding Ashley Martinez Facebook page" and possibly other sites.
(2005) The Carole Sund /Carrington Memorial Reward Foundation authorized funds to help find Ashley. Offering a reward of 5,000 for information leading to the safe return of Martinez. Also during this year 18 Wheel Angels program sponsored by Project Jason spreads info about Ashley across the states.
(August 15th, 2005) T.M. says that she speaks with investigator Sgt. J.V. several times a week about the case. T.M. contacted the renowned psychic Noreen Reiner from Court TV in Florida. The psychic charges around 650.00 to 1,000.00 for a one-hour-long conversation with no guarantees but promised experience in missing person cases. The police department said while they could not fund the hiring of the psychic (there is no protocol or funding for this sort of thing) they would entertain any tips that the psychic might come up with.
(July 6th, 2005) LE reported that most of their tips came from KC MO and Olympia Washington areas but speculated that it could be because the largest amount of flyers were being sent there. Six weeks from this date LE attempt to talk to Hart with no results.
(2006) Runaway Jane Doe In San Bernardino California was thought to be Ashley but when DNA from T.M. was sent there was no match.
(November, 18th, 2006) The case appears on "America's Most Wanted" and was featured by John Walsh on his radio/web page amw.com
J.V. interviews with the news press and discusses long-term cases like Ashley's. J.V. said forensic evidence is entered into missing person databases such as CODIS. Ashley was added via maternal DNA. During this time frame J.V. was in contact with a caseworker at National Center For Missing And Exploited Children at least weekly. T.M. Works on a bill with Rep. Ed Wildberger, S-St. Joseph that changed the age a minor could willfully travel across state lines with adults from yrs to yrs. At this point in time, Ashley's case garnered around 100 tips.
(2007) "On the Road to Remember Tour" sponsored by Community Effort Center For Missing person caravan across North Carolina and through 11 other states. They stopped at Krug Park pool for Ashley Martinez to try to bring her National Attention.
(2007) A news article says that Ashley borrowed a cellphone from a friend at the pool and called Hart who then cut his house arrest band and went to pick her up. In this article is says Ashley disappeared with him in her (sometimes the source said her father's car and sometimes it say his father's car) father's gray 1995 Pontiac Bonneville. A car that has never re-appeared.Missouri license plate, 377MPY, VIN 1G2HX52K2S4292423. It's also possible Ashley got into a maroon car but this might rumor.
Sgt. J.V. said that leads keep trickling in.
(2011) Dental records for Ashley have been indicated as gathered for investigation later. This may have been done at an earlier time but this is when the newspapers mention it. It also mentions that active missing cases are reviewed every five years to look for new leads.
(July 2014) Detective Sgt. J.P. with St. Joseph Police Department said authorities have made several attempts to speak with Mr. Hart who was incarcerated in the Missouri Department of Corrections for second-degree assault. According to this detective, they said Hart was a POI but not a sole suspect.
(July 2014) In the Kansas City Star Paper Sgt. Detective J.P. does say Hart remains a person of interest in this case. They also say they get some e-mails about missing Jane Doe's bodies but DNA rules them out every time.
(2017) According to T.M. The LE did try to question Hart but he did not cooperate. T.M. said to her knowledge the LE tried to talk to him twice over the years.
(June, 13th, 2017) There was a search on the Northside of St. Joseph. The area was of "Huntoon Road and West Highland Avenue." east of Interstate 229 it also expanded to include a few pieces of private land. T.M. said she was informed of it on June 6th at 6 am. That would have been a Tuesday. LE did not release what prompted the search but it's possible it was related to historical information on the case. National Center For Missing And Exploited Children, helped with the search. Early in the Morning on Tuesday, a bloodhound was brought in. Sgt. J.S. said they were following up on recent leads in this case but did not say if those leads caused the search.
(2017) Around this timeframe because of the buzz in social media woman named J.W. came forward in the news claiming to be Christopher Hart's cousin. J.W. claimed to have seen the two together prior to Ashley's disappearance. J.W. talked with Hart allegedly and he said he had met a girl and they were going to Oregon. He also said he was going to get her from the pool that day she vanished. J.W. said she was going to go with the pair but chose not to later. J.W. had gotten a bad feeling after going on a walk with Hart in the woods. He said he told her stories about being in that spot with another girl and the conversation made her feel uneasy. That walk was in Northwest parkway only 2 miles from the location where LE had searched. The LE had not heard this story before. The news press attempted to contact Hart or his legal representative with no results.
*Note J.W. is allegedly the cousin of Hart but she has a reputation in the community for involving herself in other cases where she may have lied. The community in general views her as a drug user. This is all alleged and rumors and this info in not meant to harm or defame her in any way but to bring up public common knowledge about this case. Early in 2021 in the unseen affidavit article, Hart's mother talks of J.W. had said that J.W. is not Hart's cousin but a niece of Hart's step-mother. Hart's mother outlines that J.W. was taken in by Hart's father and step-mother but had "mental and behavior problems" and was given back to her mother.
(October, 26th, 2017) The case has had three lead investigators over the years. Sgt. J.S. the 2017 investigator did not make comments on the case because the case remains open. They would not say if Hart was still a POI or if Hart was a suspect. At this point in time, there have been thousands of tips turned in over the case.
(July 8th, 2018) New flyers distributed by Ashley's family and maybe the organization "The Missing and Endangered NW Missouri and Surrounding Areas nonprofit organization".
(2021) During the early months of this year a news article broke around Ashley's case. An affidavit comes forward brought to the press by Hart's mother. The affidavit was written in 2009 but the alleged event took place in the fall of 2004. Hart's mother encountered the witness while attempting to enroll Hart's son into school.
The witness was D.C.'s former school administrator. D.C. was enrolling Hart's son in school when she learned who his father was she "literally jumped up from her chair and slapped her hand on her desk; and said that she knows Chris did not take Ashley Martinez as she had seen her that September 2004 with a big black man out by the highway. She said that they waived at each other. I asked her if she had informed the authorities and she said that she had. She told me that they told her that she was mistaken, but she reiterated that she knew it was Ashley as she was vice-principal at Robidoux Middle School where Ashely went to school; and that shad many many dealings with Ashley. Also, she said that Ashley had on some of the same clothes that she had seen her in at school."- (Full affidavit in the St. Joseph Mo News-Press)
Reading the actual affidavit it outlines that D.C. saw Ashley standing on the northeast corner of Frederick St. and Leonard Road with a tall African American male. She was wearing jeans and a t-shirt then she turned north on Leonard rd and waved to D.C. They called the juvenile or the police to inform of the sighting. D.C. saw them again after her errand walking down Frederick across the highway bridge. The affidavit had been prepared by Hart's then-lawyer at the time.
A second news article months later declares Christopher Hart as a POI by Sgt. J.S. of St. Joseph Police Department. J.S. confirms they have witness statements to prove the two had been associated. J.S. was surprised by this affidavit. The lawyer at the time could not recall if he had ever turned the affidavit over to LE. The police were able to confirm they had spoken with D.C. before but had not seen the affidavit.
Hart who has never previously made any comment before finally speaks out. Reportedly he spent most of the two hours talking of unelated or semi-related legal matters. Currently, Hart is held on unlawful use of a weapon and domestic violence charges in a case unrelated to Martinez. When Hart did finally talk about Ashley he said this "But I guarantee you this, I have nothing to do with her disappearance, and if I knew of any way possible of anybody, guaranteed I would not hold information back. I don't care if it was my own mother at this point." -Newspress
Hart is writing a book called "Person of Interest." about the time he's spent as a POI. "I'm going to give everything I've got in this book, including whether or not I even knew Martinez on a personal level."
Hart claimed he more evidence in the Martinez case and that his mother wasn't supposed to bring that affidavit to the news-press.
Currently - No arrests have ever been made in connection to this case.
Ashley Renee Martinez
Ashley has no known alias names or preference for her name spelling. Born January 24th, 1989, and vanished July 6th, 2004. Ashley is about 5'3, and 110 pounds with blue eyes, her natural hair color is a Sandy blonde and she is caucasian. She does have a scar or scars on her left arm/wrist.
Clothing worn that day was blue jean shorts, a black top with red cherries, and white Reebok tennis shoes with red accents shoe size 5. Ashley's tongue, naval, and ears were pierced. and she had a ring with two hearts joined together. (A gift ring from her mother) A black bikini with red cherries was worn underneath her clothing. Ashley was reported to have a bi-bipolar disorder and is supposed to have left her medications. She may have had an inhaler with her for her mild asthma attacks. Ashley could have mood swings, impulsive and potentially risky behaviors when she was not on her medications.
Ashley was reported to have smoked cigarettes, (Menthols) partied, and partook in marijuana. Ashley did not wear hats out of personal preferences because they messed up her hair. Ashley loves the color red and swimming! According to her mother, Ashley wanted to be a model and had a lot of talents like reading and writing. Some of Ashley's favorite stories were love stories and she likes the Titanic. She hung out with friends talking on the phone, watched lifetime movies with her mom, and had sleepovers.
"Most of Ashley's enjoyment was centered around her family, friends, and pets. She has two brothers, an older one and a younger one, who miss her so much. Her friends still often call and check on her and us. They also miss her so much. Her pets miss her so much too, and the love that she gave them was wonderful. Two months before her disappearance, Ashley had picked out her very own kitten and named him herself. She chose a long-haired gray kitten and named him Coco. He was very small when she disappeared, but now she would be so surprised of how large he is.” -
http://voice4themissing.blogspot.com/2005/08/82205-oh-ashley-ashley.html
Other important personal preferences include favorite restaurants being: Red Lobster and McDonald's. Favorite foods are Crab meat, vegetables (corn, peas, potatoes), tacos, and pizza. Lastly, my favorite junk foods are Doritos with cheese dip, mint chocolate chip ice cream, Reese's peanut butter cups.
"Ashley’s mother describes her as a beautiful girl who loves to read and has a great sense of humor." * This link to the quote found on http://www.ncmissingpersons.org/tag/ashley-martinez/ (now has a 404 error
Ashley has a brother named A., a mother T.M. Nieces/Nephews A. A. A. and A. plus a sister-in-law C. Grandmother S.K. They have all had many services in Ashley's honor including planting a Burgunder Belle Maple Tree near the pool. A birthday balloon release on Ashley's 25th birthday and other loving acts like candle-like vigils. "You never give up on someone you love," T.M. said.
Christopher Hart
Christopher Mathias Hart Also known as Chris Hart, Christopher M. Hart, and would use the name Raymond Michael Price. (A family member) Hart's middle name Mathias is often spelled in different ways. Date of birth December, 12th, 1971. You can see updated photos of him in the newspaper articles about Ashley and as well as his own arrests.
Hart before 2004 had been arrested and charged with various incidents since at least the late '90s. Many involved burglary, vehicles, and failure to appears. One incident in his teenage years involved an alleged drive-by threat with a sawed-off 22. rifle and friend's brother.
According to a news, article Hard was under electronic house arrest in St. Joseph due to a prior second-degree assault conviction, but he removed his house-arrest bracelet. (WHEN he removed the bracelet was not explicitly said)
Hart did live in the same neighborhood as Ashley Martinez according to the news and T.M.
Only eleven days after Ashley's disappearance, Hart was arrested in Olympia Washington for purse-snatching. He gave the Washington officials a false name (Raymond M. Price a family member) and as a result, they did not know he was wanted in Missouri, so he was released from the Thurston County Jail and had a warrant out under his false name.
On September 7th, 2004, Hart is arrested again only two months after Ashley's vanishment in Olympia, Washington. Hart's landlord and neighbors never saw a female with him. Hart had lived with a cousin in the area but the cousin said Hart never mentioned Ashley. Hart was extradited back to Missouri where it was reported he behaved bizarrely and refused to talk about Ashley at all. He was convicted of drug possession, unlawful use of a weapon, and resisting arrest.
Hart was then sent to Western State Hospital for a mental evaluation, prior to his arraignment in court. This may have been around 2008.
Around August 2015 Hart was released from prison on probation where he tried to live with family.
September 2015 Hart was re-incarcerated.
In September 2019 Hart was released on probation.
The timeline for here is a little unclear but as of 2021 Hart is in Buchanan County Jail awaiting trial for domestic violence and unlawful use of weapon. Hart is working on a book "Person of Interest" a tell-all of his time as a POI. In the 2021 article where his mother brings the unseen affidavit to the news, she outlines Hart's character from her perspective. Hart apparently attempted to save his son from a lifestyle similar to his but "Chris ended up doing drugs and doing crimes with Dylan." - full affidavit. The two became hostile with each other and it came to head in 2019.
Note*
Hart's Son D.H has included a paragraph because of the affidavit. In it, Hart's mother mentions that D.H. began to use serious drugs in 2014. D.H suffered mental and drug issues for years. During a drug high her allegedly came home talking about the "Mexican Cartel" from Southend that he owed money and that he became friends with Ashley's Martinez's brother who said that Ashley overdosed and died at a party in a field by her house. D.H. grew up under his father's shadow and connection to this case. In 2019 when his relationship with his father soured he allegedly threatened, goaded, and attacked his father over his possible involvement with the case. D.H. and Hart got into an altercation at Hart's mother and chargers were applied from D.H. to Hart. D.H. refused to drop those charges and told Hart's mother "He knew that I knew what his father had done and that I was protecting a murderer. This has broken my heart." -full affidavit.
Rumors
Some people think that Ashley might still be in the surrounding area. There were some possible sightings of her at one point in various areas.
Loose Notes/ Thoughts/Theories
Where is this unique stolen car? The rumor is that it was registered to Christopher Hart's father but some say it was Ashley's father's car. Hart has a history of vehicle tampering.
Is there any tangible evidence that Ashley and Hart had any type of connection? There are witness statements and that is it.
Where are the biggest trafficking lines for humans in Missouri, Washington, and California, and maybe along the way?
Did anyone see or have evidence of them traveling to Washington or California where Hart was found later?
Did Hart have a history of having an interest in younger ages for relationships?
Had Ashley been taking her medications prior to her disappearance?
Ashley allegedly indicated to her friends that she had planned on running away but did she give a motive?
Common Collected Theories
Number one theory is that Christopher Hart convinced Ashley to leave with him to California on her own accord. However, I would like to counter with... if that were true why didn't Ashley pack things to bring with her.
Hart lied to Ashley about taking her to California and sold her into human trafficking or to a drug den. Either to pay off debts or to raise money for his trip to Washington.
Hart picked up Ashley to do drugs with her and took her to a wooded location where something went wrong. *This theory is based on the common knowledge that in St. Joeseph drug users often walk in the woods or go to a woodland spot.
They went to a party and overdosed theory. *This theory is based on D.H.'s drug rant to Hart's mother.
Other theories are that Hart had nothing to do with Ashley's disappearance but due to Ashley's possible impulsivity gotten in a car with a stranger and abducted.
There is also the local rumor that the car was dumped into the Missouri River.
Lastly, Ashley chose to run away and cut all ties. However, I would like to counter why would she never have contact with any friend ever? Why not pack clothes, take money, or anything else?
Conclusion
How can we help Ashley? Share her flyers if you are in Missouri and surrounding states or in Washington. Share her flyers even if you are not in those areas. Send your tips to Crime Stoppers (You can remain entirely anonymous and they have an app) Please call St. Joseph PD at 816-271-4777 or call the Buchanan County Communication Center at 816-271-4777 or the TIPS Hotline at (816) 238-TIPS. NCMEC Case # #NCMC993587 NCIC Case #M-874158505 Police Case #04-26313
Ashley if you happen to be reading this... 1-888-373-7888 National Human Trafficking Hotline
Upstairs Information
https://charleyproject.org/case/ashley-renee-martinez
2014 Article
https://www.newspressnow.com/news/local_news/two-cases-continue-to-puzzle-authorities/article_4a81dc4e-9bac-50a8-a4b6-46fbbe3ed0d3.html
2017 News Clip https://www.newspressnow.com/multimedia/videos/watch-new-questions-in-the-ashley-martinez-disappearance/video_b64ea443-0a47-51b1-9618-b36de209d4f3.html
and Full 2017 News Clip * it goes black halfway through the clip unfortuantly
https://www.newspressnow.com/multimedia/videos/watch-full-report-on-ashley-martinez/video_1fc22bb7-a9f0-5ac1-9dcb-0cae444e4527.html
2017 Article about Northside search
https://www.newspressnow.com/news/local_news/a-new-search-in-a-cold-case/article_de536f30-ef7a-5df4-9b42-cc1bc5cec4d8.html
Northside Search/ J.W. Interview
https://www.newspressnow.com/news/local_news/witness-saw-ashley-martinez-with-man-prior-to-disappearance/article_069d5e5b-aaf7-5dbc-9319-16792e2a0ef9.html
More coverag on search
https://www.newspressnow.com/multimedia/videos/watch-ashley-martinez-s-mom-reacts-to-northend-operation/video_a878b4d1-a94e-55cb-8855-7b473a676586.html
2018 News Article
https://www.kq2.com/content/news/Community-Comes-Together-for-Ashley-Martinez-487608601.html
2021 Affidavit https://www.newspressnow.com/read-full-affidavit-of-denise-campbell/pdf_8262865c-82b9-11eb-ab62-23fdfd545964.html
https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/newspressnow.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/8/26/8262865c-82b9-11eb-ab62-23fdfd545964/604a9a6075ac5.pdf.pdf
2021 Follow up on affidavit https://www.newspressnow.com/news/local_news/crime/person-of-interest-in-martinez-case-denies-involvement/article_6c6b9b70-8766-11eb-88d9-0332ca971e14.html
Car
https://oag.ca.gov/missing/vehicle/gray-1995-pontiac-bonneville-missouri-377mpy
Missing Person Pages / Sources
http://www.ncmissingpersons.org/tag/ashley-martinez/
https://www.websleuths.com/forums/threads/mo-ashley-martinez-15-st-joseph-6-july-2004.25832/
http://www.newspressnow.com/multimedia/videos/watch-mother-offers-wisdom-for-when-children-go-missing/video_ab67b8fe-0ad5-5a5c-8dcd-ff3e8afa4559.html
https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/3kvg6g/ashley_martinez_age_15_missing_from_missouri/
http://www.pollyklaas.org/missing/kids/ashley-martinez.html
http://deaniepeters-missingangels.blogspot.com/2013/05/ashley-renee-martinez-missing-9-years.html
http://voice4themissing.blogspot.com/2005/08/82205-oh-ashley-ashley.html
http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/3433dfmo.html
https://www.namus.gov/MissingPersons/Case#/6356
Subscription Newspaper Sources
https://www.newspapers.com/image/556974926/?terms=Ashley%20Martinez&match=1
https://www.newspapers.com/image/589589104/?terms=Ashley%20Martinez&match=1
https://www.newspapers.com/image/590223726/?terms=Ashley%20Martinez&match=1
https://www.newspapers.com/image/564179449/?terms=Ashley%20Martinez&match=1
https://www.newspapers.com/image/557196425/?terms=Ashley%20Martinez&match=1
https://www.newspapers.com/image/589376336/?terms=Ashley%20Martinez&match=1
https://www.newspapers.com/image/656069243/?terms=Ashley%20Martinez&match=1
https://www.newspapers.com/image/556759866/?terms=Ashley%20Martinez&match=1
https://www.newspapers.com/image/688464516/?terms=Ashley%20Martinez&match=1
https://www.newspapers.com/image/656069319/?terms=Ashley%20Martinez&match=1
Christopher Hart's Criminal History Sources
https://www.publicpolicerecord.com/florida/doc-prisoner/HART_CHRISTOPHER/Q04346
https://caselaw.findlaw.com/mo-court-of-appeals/1602533.html
http://www.moundcitynews.com/sites/default/files/9%20September%2024,%202015.pdf
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