Before Valentine’s Day 2017, Ashley Mead was happy with a budding new romance she found online, while also trying to completely end her tumultuous relationship with the man she lived with. Police believe it was this complicated relationship that led to her death.
Mysterious Disappearance
At the age of 25, Ashley Mead had a young daughter named Winter Daisy, 13 months old. Ashley had a romantic relationship with her daughter’s father – Adam Densmore. Although they had recently broken up, they still lived together and co-parented their child. Ashley enjoyed being around children and was an intern at a preschool in Boulder, Colorado, USA.
On Tuesday, Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2017, a coworker of Ashley’s called Boulder police around 9:20 in the morning to report Ashley and her daughter missing. Ashley was very punctual and wouldn’t miss work without notifying anyone.
Police then went to check on Ashley’s welfare at her home. There, they found Ashley’s car, a white Volvo, missing. The front door of the house was unlocked, and the lights inside were still on. There were no signs of a struggle. However, Ashley’s cat appeared to have been neglected, the oven was left open, and it seemed Ashley was preparing dinner before disappearing.
Ashley’s driver’s license, glasses, wallet, and cell phone were all found inside the house. Ashley’s phone was on the staircase railing. On the phone, police discovered shoe prints. It seemed someone had stepped on it and placed it on the railing.
Upon hearing of her daughter’s disappearance, Ashley’s relatives immediately suspected something was wrong, especially upon learning the cat was left behind. They were also very concerned for granddaughter Winter.
Strange Noises
The family revealed Ashley was living with her ex-boyfriend Adam. Police tried to contact Adam, but all calls went straight to voicemail. Adam’s phone had a signal but was turned off.
Police followed Ashley’s last known movements and learned that on Sunday, February 12, she was at a store and took some selfies in the fitting room. Ashley spent the rest of the day doing various errands.
At 4:40 PM, Ashley and her daughter Winter were seen on surveillance cameras at a shopping location. That was Ashley’s last transaction with her credit card. A neighbor saw Ashley taking out the trash around 5:30 PM. Ashley’s last activity on her cellphone was around 8:40 PM. Thus, she had been missing for over 48 hours.
While speaking with Ashley’s neighbors, one person who shared a wall with Ashley’s house reported hearing a loud noise from Ashley’s apartment just after 9 PM on Sunday evening. The neighbor said the noise sounded like someone falling down the stairs. This person didn’t hear any screams and didn’t hear anything else after that loud noise.
Police contacted Adam’s parents in Louisiana. They confirmed seeing their son and granddaughter together. Investigators felt relieved knowing Winter Daisy was safe. Now, their focus was solely on finding the missing young mother.
The New Boyfriend
After Ashley Mead went missing, her family revealed she was living with her ex-boyfriend, Adam Densmore, and their shared daughter, Winter Daisy, 13 months old. Police attempted to contact Adam, but all calls went straight to voicemail. His phone had a signal but was turned off.
Subsequently, investigators contacted Adam’s parents in Louisiana. They confirmed seeing their son and granddaughter together.
Adam told his parents he was going to visit his grandmother in Conway, Arkansas. The signal from his cellphone confirmed this. Adam also called and texted Ashley’s phone to inform her of their father-daughter trip on the night of February 12, 2017, the time when Ashley was reported missing.
In a text message, Adam mentioned that Ashley had a new boyfriend. Checking Ashley’s phone records, investigators confirmed she was in a relationship with a man named Harvey. They met online and talked frequently, but had only been dating for a few weeks. Ashley and Harvey also spoke on the day she went missing.
Harvey was ruled out as a suspect due to evidence of his whereabouts. Throughout the night of February 12, he was with a few friends reporting to the police about one of them losing their wallet. The police decided to revisit Adam’s involvement.
Evidence on the Body
When Adam learned that the police were contacting his mother to relay the request to call back the authorities, he appeared frightened. Nonetheless, Adam eventually called the police, confirming his daughter was safe and asleep.
Adam confessed that he visited family because he and Ashley had a “big argument” on Sunday, February 12. According to Adam, it was their worst fight yet, and it might have turned violent if he hadn’t left. Adam claimed he tried calling Ashley multiple times on his way to his parent’s house and was extremely scared to learn she was missing.
Though suspicious, the police found no evidence indicating Ashley was dead or that Adam was involved. Adam later took his daughter on a cross-country trip. However, his name was not on the birth certificate of the child, so his actions were unlawful without Ashley’s consent. Adam was arrested by Oklahoma police.
During police questioning, Adam refused to talk and requested a lawyer. However, he did answer social workers’ questions about his daughter. When asked about the argument with Ashley, he admitted to slapping her.
Adam had numerous bruises and scratches on his body. Police believed the altercation between him and Ashley went beyond just a slap, contrary to his claims.
The Man with the Smell of Bleach
Working with Adam Densmore regarding the disappearance of his ex-girlfriend, Ashley Mead, investigators discovered numerous bruises and scratches on his body. They believed the altercation between him and Ashley went beyond just a slap as he claimed.
Digging into Adam’s background, police found that he had previously been arrested for domestic violence for choking his ex-wife in Louisiana in 2010. In 2013, Adam faced further charges for disturbance.
Friends revealed that Ashley had described her daughter’s father as an alcoholic and expressed a strong dislike for him. Ashley also disclosed that he had refused to sign the birth certificate of their child and even introduced the baby as “Ashley’s daughter.”
According to Adam’s account, Ashley was alive when he left the apartment they shared after a heated argument. Adam admitted to telling his ex-girlfriend that he hated her and wished she were dead but quickly regretted saying so.
Police then received a call from Adam’s sister in Louisiana, saying that Adam and Winter Daisy had arrived while their parents were at work. She mentioned being happy to see her brother and niece, while Adam seemed surprised to find her at their parents’ home.
When his sister questioned the strong smell of bleach on Adam, he claimed he had unfortunately vomited all over the bathroom and had to clean it up.
The Body in the Suitcase
During a search of the apartment where Adam lived with Ashley and their daughter, police noticed signs of a cleaned bathroom and discovered some bloodstains.
While the case didn’t yield any new leads, authorities received a call from a gas station attendant in Okmulgee, Oklahoma. He reported discovering a suspicious suitcase dumped in the trash behind the gas station. Curious, he opened it and was shocked to find a human body part inside.
During the autopsy, forensic experts found a sun tattoo similar to Ashley’s. DNA analysis later officially confirmed the victim to be the missing young mother, Ashley.
Though the cause of death couldn’t be determined, considering the scratches, bruises, and other injuries on the body, authorities concluded that the victim had clearly been attacked before her death.
Police proceeded to review surveillance camera footage at the gas station, where Ashley’s remains were found, and spotted a suspicious-looking car.
A Deadly Jealousy
Reviewing surveillance camera footage at the gas station where part of Ashley Mead’s body was found, police spotted a suspicious vehicle.
A white Volvo approached the dumpster area. Subsequently, the victim’s ex-boyfriend, Adam Densmore, stepped out and opened the dumpster lid. The man then drove around the gas station and stopped at the parking lot of a retail store in Okmulgee, Oklahoma. He then entered the store with his daughter.
At Adam’s parents’ house in Louisiana, police found additional evidence in the backyard shed. It was a grill lid with blood inside and a saw with blood and tissue on the blade. All were confirmed to belong to Ashley.
Inside Ashley’s Volvo, police also discovered a bloodstain near the car seat, later confirmed to be Ashley’s blood. This detail suggested Ashley might have been lying on the car floor near her daughter. Furthermore, Adam’s shoes at the time of arrest matched the shoe prints on Ashley’s phone.
Investigations revealed that Adam had harbored anger and resentment towards Ashley, evident from his diary entries. He wrote about wanting to hurt his ex in various ways. “I’m tired of being sick of her. She seems to care nothing for me or my desires and needs,” Adam wrote.
The Secret behind the Incomplete Body
Investigations unveiled that Ashley had officially started dating a new boyfriend just a week before her death and had informed Adam about it. It seems Ashley’s newfound acquaintance triggered Adam’s jealousy.
In the weeks that followed, authorities searched for the rest of Ashley’s body but with no success. This also hindered the medical examiner’s ability to determine the exact cause of death.
However, with the evidence gathered, police had enough grounds to charge Adam with first-degree murder and domestic violence.
In court, Adam vehemently denied the charges. Meanwhile, his defense attorney focused on the fact that the cause of death had never been determined.
However, on April 4, 2018, the jury concluded that Adam was guilty of murder, corpse mutilation, corpse abuse, and tampering with evidence. He was sentenced to life imprisonment plus an additional 12 years for dismemberment.
Although Adam was convicted, many questions remained unanswered. Authorities never determined the cause of death due to the missing body parts. Ashley’s father, Ed Mead, also asked Adam about where he buried the remaining parts. However, Adam steadfastly refused to disclose anything, showing no remorse for his inhumane actions.
