OSWEGO, Ill. — A man allegedly stabbed his ex-wife to death after chasing her into her home while her new husband watched in horror on security cameras, authorities said.
Ryan D. Dodd, 44, has been charged with first-degree murder, home invasion, armed violence, residential burglary, and aggravated stalking in the death of 41-year-old Ashley Stewart in Oswego, roughly 40 miles west of Chicago.
Police responded shortly after 1 p.m. Tuesday to a home on Valentine Way, following a 911 call from Stewart’s husband. He told dispatchers he saw a man pursuing his wife into their garage on surveillance footage. When officers arrived, Stewart had already died from multiple stab wounds. Authorities say Dodd, her ex-husband, was responsible.
Dodd was arrested about 30 minutes after the attack when an officer spotted his vehicle. Investigators say he allegedly followed Stewart into her home and attacked her. Surveillance images released by police appear to show Dodd hiding behind bushes near the residence. Prosecutors formally charged him Thursday, and he is being held without bond at the Kendall County Jail. His next court date is March 9.
Stewart is survived by six children, including a 2-year-old son.
“She was a devoted wife and loving mother, and her loss has left an immeasurable void in the lives of those who loved her,” a GoFundMe page said.
A friend of Stewart told NBC Chicago that she always prioritized her family. “She really, really loved her family. She loved her kids,” Robin Ross said. “Nobody could ever, ever mistake how much love she put into her family.” Ross described Stewart as a “genuine, beautiful life spirit” with a “bright future ahead of her” who would “drop anything she needed to do to help out anybody.”