A woman has been arrested in Indiana for murder and several other charges after her mom turned up dead amid an investigation into a burglary and the death of the mother’s husband.

Ashley Jones was arrested for murder, conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder, and burglary by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department, Sheriff Rick Meyer announced on October 18.

A burglary investigation led to the discovery of an alleged murder plot

The investigation kicked off when Jones’ mother, Marsha Allen, reported on September 19 that her home on North State Road 135 had been burglarized, the sheriff stated. “Officers investigated the burglary, and determined that two men, Steven White and Nathaniel Kane Napier, committed the burglary at the direction of and with the assistance of Marsha’s daughter Ashley Jones,” Meyer wrote.

Law enforcement officers examined Allen’s cell phone, finding text messages between the mother and daughter “in which they discussed murdering Marsha’s husband, Harold Allen, by poisoning Harold in December of 2022,” Meyer continued.

An online obituary for Harold “Peanut” L. Allen Jr. states that he died at age 52 on December 20, 2022.

After finding the text messages about the alleged poisoning plot, officers served a search warrant at Allen’s home, seizing other electronic devices in hopes of finding more evidence.

Authorities spoke with Allen while executing the search warrant and then released her as they continued their investigation.

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“Marsha’s family contacted the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department October 16, 2023 at approximately 7:52 p.m. and stated that they had been unable to contact Marsha,” Meyer wrote. “Upon arriving at Marsha’s home, officers found Marsha deceased with no signs of violence.”

The next day, authorities spoke to her daughter, Jones, who Meyer says confessed to ordering ethylene glycol on the internet. However, Jones claims that “Marsha was the person who had placed the ethylene glycol in Harold’s drink,” the sheriff stated. 

An inmate roster on the Jackson County Sheriff’s page lists Jones as being 29 years old and from Bellflower, Missouri, and states, “Bond Pending or No Bond Required.”

Meyer noted that the investigation is ongoing.

Ashley Jones’ former in-law suspects her in the death of her late husband

ABC-affiliated Louisville, Kentucky station WHAS-TV reports that the murder charge against Jones is related to Harold’s death. The station also spoke to William Jones, the uncle of Jones’ late husband, Tyrson Jones. William told WHAS-TV that his nephew was found dead in his home in 2019, days after he got an inheritance from his great grandfather.

William believes that Jones had something to do with Tyrson’s death. “She had his body cremated quick, fast and in a hurry before the family could even ask for an autopsy or have anything done about it,” William told WHAS-TV, adding that Jones had said Tyrson died from alcohol poisoning, but he was never satisfied with that story.

The Jackson County Sheriff’s Department told WHAS-TV that it’s aware of William’s claims, but are unable to say at this time whether authorities are looking in Tyrson’s death.