Woman arrested for poisoning, killing mother's husband in 2022

Jackson County Sheriff's Department officials found text messages between Ashley Jones and her mother that discussed the murder in December 2022.

JACKSON COUNTY, Indiana — The plot to slip an untraceable deadly liquid and roots of a poisonous flower into the food and drink of a southern Indiana man was likely, detectives believe, concocted up by his own wife's daughter, who now faces multiple charges in connection with his 2022 death. 

Ashley Jones, 29, has been charged with murder and accused of poisoning her mother's husband, Harold Allen, to death. 

Harold was found dead inside his residence in the 3200 block of North State Road 135 on Dec. 20, 2022, after authorities with the Jackson County Sheriff's Department responded to reports of an unconscious person. 

At the time, police did not find any evidence violence had occurred in the home. Investigators did not believe there was anything suspicious surrounding Harold's death. 

That changed after Sept. 19, 2023, when Jones' mother, Marsha Allen, reported an attempted burglary at her home, the same residence in Freetown where her husband was found dead nearly a year prior. Investigators with the Jackson County Sheriff's Department eventually determined two men burglarized the home at the direction of Jones.

One of two suspects in that burglary then confided to Jackson County authorities that he had a conversation with Jones, in which she accused her mother of ending Harold's life by poisoning him to death.  

Detectives then spoke with Jones' mother, who denied killing her husband and consented to a search of her phone. At that point, investigators discovered text messages dating back to November 2022 that authorities claimed showed both the mother and daughter planning to poison Allen prior to his death. Jones had been living with Harold and Marsha at their home until some time after Allen died. 

In one text message uncovered by police, Jones and Marsha had told her they needed foxglove seeds. Foxglove, sometimes called digitalis, are ornamental plants with vivid pink and purple clustered bulbs that are highly toxic to humans and animals. 

Court documents show a search of Marsha's Google account revealed she had searched: "What happens if you eat foxglove seeds," "How much foxglove is fatal" and "How long does foxglove take to kill you?" into her account shortly after obtaining the seeds. Those searches, and text messages Jones sent to Marsha cautioning foxglove was "traceable," were made on Nov. 27, 2023.

That same day, according to medical records obtained by the Jackson County Coroner's Office, Harold was seen at the Schneck Medical Center. He complained of parasthesia, or numbness on the left side of his face, which is a common symptom of foxglove poisoning.

Three days later, on Nov. 30, Harold returned with more complaints that included stomach pains, diarrhea and vomiting that suggest foxglove poisoning. 

On Dec. 2, 2022, Jones texted Marcia, "You can't touch the plant." By then, text messages suggest the duo had shifted their strategy, turning instead to a colorless, odorless chemical to try and kill Allen.

That chemical appeared to be ethylene glycol, an odorless, slightly sweet tasting compound used to make products like antifreeze or detergents. Ingestion can cause death in humans. 

A Jackson County Sheriff's Office detective tracked an order for 64 ounces worth of the compound for $31.99 that was placed on Dec. 13, 2022. The order's billing address showed it would be delivered to Lynn Allen and had a Freetown address. 

Jones texted her mother, "The mail is here :)" on Dec. 19, which Marsha replied to with a "love" emoji. Jones' mother texted her later that same day, saying, "Hes [sic] all in for root beer floats." They then allegedly exchanged information about the root beer floats, including photos and sizes of cans.

Officers arrested Jones at a residence in Missouri on Oct. 3, and she was booked at the Jackson County Jail in Indiana on Oct. 16, 2023. Jones allegedly told authorities in an interview the following day that Marsha put a foxglove root into Harold's chili and brownie. She told them the foxglove had been ordered from Etsy, although she could not recall who ordered it. 

Jones told them she made the order for the ethylene glycol, but that it was her mother who actually slipped it into Harold's root beer float on Dec. 20, 2022. Harold drank the whole float, and Jones also said five hours passed from the time her mother reported Harold was acting "drunk and loopy" from the time they called an ambulance for him. 

A further search of Jones' phone revealed text messages between herself and the burglary suspect who police would come to believe had burglarized her mother's home on her orders that hinted at the pair working to poison Harold. 

"Ahahah yeah she ain't gonna be able to do [redacted] she wouldn't even have succeeded with this last thing without me I planned it all,. She was gonna use insulin like 1983 oh it's not traced," Jones reportedly texted the man. "So something else was hatched and we both know that [redacted] wasn't the one planning ect she just [redacted] [redacted] it all up made it less lucrative wouldn't even make it go get a will." 

Jones lamented in the texts that her mother allegedly required her assistance to get into a "dead man's phone" to get "his retirement savings he had hidden," and that she had helped her mother access $4,500 from "his" PayPal account, but was upset she did not receive any of the money.

Jones has been charged with murder, conspiracy to commit murder resulting in death and consumer product tampering resulting in serious bodily injury. 

Although those charges were filed against Jones on Wednesday, another person in the community believes she is connected to another homicide. 

Suspicions after ex-husband's death 

Reports of Ashley Jones' arrest came as shock to many in Jackson County. But in Louisville, William Jones told reporter Arianna Sergio with WTHR's sister station, WHAS in Louisville, it was no surprise. 

"I was right all along. You can fool me, but you can't fool the Almighty," he said. 

William is the father of a man who allegedly burglarized the home of Jones' mother, and is also the uncle of Ashley's late husband, Tyrson Jones. 

William said Tyrson was found dead in his home in 2019, just days after he received an inheritance from his great-grandfather. He said family members were unaware of Tyrson's death, until they got a call from Ashley.

"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 said. 

He said Ashley told them Tyrson died from alcohol poisoning, but he always felt there was more to the story.

"Ashley or Martha had set it up to where they poisoned him within the liquor," William said. "And I think Steven knows what happened because they were really, really inseparable people."

William said no one listened to his suspicions that Tyrson's death may have been foul play.

The Jackson County Sheriff's Department said they're aware of the claims, but can't say whether or not law enforcement is investigating Tyrson's death.

As of right now, Ashley is charged with Harold's murder, conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder and burglary. However, William is confident the web of crime didn't start at her mother's home.

"Something's been going on for a long period of time," William told WHAS. "It's all about money for them."

Anyone with additional information on the investigation is asked to contact Sheriff Rick Meyer at the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department at 812-358-2141.