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For Ashley

Ashley Howley's mother passed away in February, but her death didn't end the search for answers in Ashley's case.

Ashley Howley originally from Michigan, moved to Columbus Ohio and had started a new life for herself when she disappeared. Her family long suspected that her ex boyfriend played a role in her disappearance, and openly discussed their saddened belief that Ashley had been a victim of abuse that resulted in her death at his hands.

Police never arrested the ex boyfriend, Ashley's body was never found, and after years of unanswered questions- her case slipped into the ever dreaded 'cold case' status. I've covered Ashley's case extensively, and have long hoped that despite the status of the case, one day information would lead to enough answers to solve the case- and bring Ashley home.

But we all know the odds of a cold case being solved, especially a case in which there was very little evidence and few tips to go on. The truth is, no matter how many people hoped for answers, it would likely never be solved unless something major happened. In Ashley's case, that something major may have happened in December... although the cost was the lives to two more people.

SOURCE A 25-year-old man could face the death penalty for the Dec. 26 beating deaths of his mother and her boyfriend in their Minerva Park home.

The Franklin County grand jury yesterday indicted Robert P. MacMichael II on four counts of aggravated murder. One of the murder charges has death penalty specifications.

MacMichael was also indicted on aggravated robbery, burglary and theft charges.


MacMichael has a long criminal record, although charges seemed to have always been dropped or reduced, including a probation violation previous to Ashley's disappearance which involved an assault on her.

Columbus Police also considered MacMichael a suspect in the June 2004 disappearance of his girlfriend, Ashley Howley. She told police on June 16, 2004, that MacMichael assaulted her. She hasn't been seen since June 17, 2004.



MacMichael is charged with beating his mother and her friend to death.

For more coverage on Ashley's case from the Columbus Dispatch, see here.

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