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Unsolved Brutal Murder of Oregon Grandmother
from Cold Cases Reopened on Facebook
On August 5, 2016, 76-year-old Dorothy Ruth "Dottie" Ashley was savagely murdered in her duplex on R Street in Springfield, Oregon.
Police said the crime happened in broad daylight. Investigators have narrowed the window to between 11:30 AM- 1PM that Friday.
"It's still perplexing to me that nobody saw anything suspicious, anyone coming or going from there, because there was a real small window of time where she would have been talking to people and was actually expecting to be picked up by one of her family members." Sgt. Dave Lewis with Springfield Police said.
Tragically, Ashley was found by her son. She was discovered deceased in a pool of blood. Even though police have said this was a violent homicide, investigators have declined to describe the cause of death or murder weapon. However, family members have stated that there were no signs of forced entry.
Springfield Police Detective Justin Myers is the lead investigator for the Ashley case, but on August 5, 2016, he was actually the first patrol officer on the scene.
Myers said though this case is cold, it's not going away until it's been solved, but he said they've exhausted their leads.
"There are over 100 different people we've talked to regarding this case and anyone that says you know my friend so and so thinks they saw something we've tracked them down and asked them and most of the time -- well all of the time in this case -- it hasn't worked out for us."
Myers said on other murder cases he's worked, from start to finish, detectives write 35 supplemental reports or fewer. That means 35 different interviews, evidence reports, or leads. In the Ashley case they're up to more than 120 reports and still no arrest.
Police said that the manner in which Ashley was killed was personal. Myers said it's personal to him too.
"The first officer to write any sort of report on this case was me. I'd like to write the last one on the case too," he said.
Tom Day, one of Dorothy's sons, stated that the family is offering a $5000 reward because he's sure someone out there knows something.
Do you have information about this case?
Call the tip line at 541-726-3773 (you can remain anonymous) or via email at police@springfield-or.gov
SOURCES
Post: Cold Cases
https://nbc16.com/.../springfield-murder-unsolved-i-dont...
https://www.kezi.com/.../detectives-have-not-stopped...
https://www.kezi.com/.../Family-offers-5k-for-information...
https://www.findagrave.com/.../167988818/dorothy-ruth-ashley