Russell Ashford, the ex-boyfriend of a missing Washington D.C. mother, has been detained in Pennsylvania on a warrant for violating his probation, authorities confirmed. Antoinette Forbes, 53, disappeared from her home on Nebraska Avenue near American University on September 4, leaving behind her phone, wallet, car, and dog.
Ashford, 65, is the father of Forbes' ten-year-old son. His detention is connected to a previous criminal case involving Forbes, according to Fox 5. He was convicted five years ago of severely beating Forbes, but after serving nine months of a 15-year sentence, his guilty verdict was struck down, and he received probation before judgment. Conditions of his probation prohibited contact with Forbes or their son. The warrant for his arrest alleges he violated this probation by attempting to collect their son from summer camp in July.
Police have not named Ashford as a suspect in Forbes' disappearance and he has not been charged with any crime related to her vanishing. Former FBI agent Ken Gray emphasized that Ashford's detention is not directly connected to Forbes' disappearance but noted that law enforcement sometimes uses such violations to hold individuals while investigating more serious matters. "It's not unusual for law enforcement to use violations like that to hold a person while they are trying to put together the case to be able to get an arrest warrant in the event that they need it for much worse things happening to Antoinette," Gray told Fox 5.
Forbes' family described her as a devoted mother who would never voluntarily leave her son. Her sister, Aileen Forbes, told CNN that the family is in "absolute shock and horror." A friend checked on Forbes after she failed to respond to messages, finding her front door unlocked and her belongings inside. Forbes' home is being treated as a crime scene, and her vehicle has also been examined by investigators.
Friends and relatives gathered for a vigil as the search continues. Despite the circumstances, the family remains hopeful that Forbes will be found alive. They are appealing for anyone who may have seen Forbes or noticed anything unusual around the time she disappeared to contact investigators.
Forbes is described as 5 feet 2 inches tall, with black hair and brown eyes.