An Arizona teen reported his mother kidnapped. Now, he has been arrested for her murder
The 18-year-old was reportedly fighting with his mother in the days leading up to her death
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An 18-year-old has been arrested for his mother’s murder after telling the authorities she was kidnapped, police say.
A jogger found Mary Collier, 39, dead near a farm in San Tan Valley, Arizona, just after 9 a.m. October 30, the Pinal County Sherrif’s Office said. Collier had blood around her mouth and a broken kitchen knife lying next to her body, according to court documents obtained by AZFamily.
James Richey, the runner who spotted the remains, told 12News he knew “it was a crime scene” when he found her body.
He called the police — but just minutes later, another 911 call came in from Collier’s 18-year-old son Alan Ashcroft reporting her kidnapping, local outlet AZFamily reports.
Police did not publicly identify the 18-year-old in their press release, but AZFamily identified him as Alan Ashcroft.
Ashcroft told the dispatcher “something really bad occurred,” according to AZFamily, and that he was at home with his father and two brothers.
His brother then told the dispatcher that the 18-year-old and his mother went on a walk together, but only Ashcroft returned.
Now, police say the teen is the suspected murderer. Police arrived at his house that day, and Ashcroft tried to run, AZFamily reported.
However, Ashcroft did not escape and authorities found the 18-year-old with self-inflicted wounds, the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office said. Ashcroft “asked deputies to shoot him in the head” and claimed he was “not innocent,” AZFamily reports, citing court documents.
Police took Ashcroft to a hospital for a wound on his neck and booked him into the Pinal County Jail on October 31, where he’s being held without bond, according to the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office. He’s now facing a first-degree murder charge.
Investigators say Ashcroft killed his mother by pinning her down and stabbing her in the neck, according to AZFamily. Court documents also reveal Ashcroft and Collier were fighting and hadn’t spoken to each other in three days, the outlet reports. Ashcroft reportedly yelled “I hate you” to his mom the night before her death.
“I just don’t know how someone could be so mad and angry that their first thought is to go and just like, kill somebody, let alone your mother,” Richey told 12News.
Collier’s niece, Zel Harwell, has launched a GoFundMe in the wake of her death. The GoFundMe has raised more than $12,000 as of November 4.