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

A man accused of fatally stabbing his ex-wife outside her home in Illinois has now been formally charged with murder.

Ashley Stewart, 41, was killed on Jan. 27. Police say her husband contacted authorities after seeing a man on home security footage who appeared to chase Stewart into the garage. A suspect was taken into custody shortly afterward.

The suspect, Ryan Dodd, 44, of Aurora, Illinois, was charged on Jan. 29 with five counts of first-degree murder, along with home invasion, armed violence, residential burglary, and aggravated stalking, according to a statement from the Oswego Police Department.

Police said Dodd was processed and booked at the Oswego Police Department before being transported to the Kendall County Jail, where he remains in custody.

Authorities added that the Kendall County Coroner’s Office completed a forensic autopsy on Jan. 29, concluding that Stewart suffered multiple sharp-force injuries.

In a Jan. 28 news release, police said officers responded to the home shortly after 1 p.m. local time and found Stewart unresponsive inside. Paramedics later pronounced her dead at the scene.

Officials said the caller reported believing Stewart was in danger after seeing, via surveillance, “a male subject run after his wife into their garage,” and believed the man to be Stewart’s ex-husband.

Dodd was detained about 30 minutes later after an officer spotted him driving on a nearby road, police said. In an update issued Jan. 30, investigators said they determined that Dodd followed Stewart as she entered her residence and attacked and killed her with a knife.

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

“Her loss has left an immeasurable void in the lives of those who loved her,” the page says. “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.”