Friend of Illinois Woman, Allegedly Stabbed to Death by Her Ex, Says She Was ‘a Beacon of Light’

A friend of the Illinois woman who was allegedly stabbed to death by her ex-husband is speaking publicly for the first time since the killing.

Police in Oswego announced Tuesday, Jan. 27, that a woman — later identified as 41-year-old Ashley Stewart — was found dead inside her home.

According to investigators, Stewart’s husband called police after noticing on a home security camera that his wife appeared to be followed into their garage. Officers arrived soon after, found Stewart unresponsive, and paramedics pronounced her dead at the scene.

Speaking with ABC7 Chicago on Friday, Jan. 30, Stewart’s friend Robin Ross described her as a devoted mother and wife.

“Ashley was a beacon of light,” Ross said. Stewart was a mother of six.

A GoFundMe page has been organized to help support Stewart’s family. “Her loss has left an immeasurable void in the lives of those who loved her,” the page states.

The fundraiser adds that Stewart’s husband, Adam Stewart, is now facing “the unimaginable,” mourning his wife while becoming the primary caregiver for their two-year-old son, his son Syler, and Stewart’s young children, who the page says are now without either biological parent.

In a Jan. 28 press release, Oswego police — in a community about 50 miles west of Chicago — said officers responded shortly after 1 p.m. local time and located Stewart inside the home.

“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,” police said. “The caller believed the male to be the wife’s ex-husband.”

Roughly 30 minutes later, police said an officer spotted a vehicle tied to the suspect traveling on a nearby road. The driver was stopped, taken into custody without incident, and transported to the Oswego Police Department.

Investigators later identified the suspect as 44-year-old Ryan Dodd of Aurora, Illinois.

Police said Thursday that the investigation concluded Dodd — identified as Stewart’s ex-husband — followed her into the residence and attacked and killed her with a knife.

After an autopsy, the Kendall County Coroner’s Office said Stewart sustained multiple “sharp-force injuries.”

In a video shared on social media, police described the incident as isolated and said there was no ongoing danger to the public.

Oswego police also urged residents to review any security-camera footage from the afternoon following the incident and to report anything relevant.

“Residents who placed garbage cans at the curb before that time are asked to check in and around their cans and their yards for any items that do not belong to them or were not placed there intentionally. If you locate anything suspicious, do not touch it and immediately call 911,” investigators added.

Dodd has since been charged with first-degree murder, home invasion, armed violence, residential burglary, and aggravated stalking. He remains in custody at the Kendall County Jail.