On the afternoon of January 27, 2026, in a peaceful suburban neighborhood outside Kansas City, Missouri, 41-year-old Ashley Stewart was brutally murdered in the attached garage of the home she shared with her husband Adam Stewart and their six children. The attacker was her ex-husband, Ryan Dodd, 43, who had a documented history of stalking and violating protective orders against Ashley. What makes this tragedy uniquely horrifying is that Adam witnessed the entire fatal assault in real time on his phone through the family’s home security camera feed—powerless to intervene as he frantically called 911 while the attack unfolded.
Ashley had just returned home around 4:15 p.m. after picking up her two youngest children from after-school programs. She pulled her minivan into the garage, began unloading groceries, and sent the children inside to play. Adam, working remotely from an upstairs office, routinely checked the garage camera feed whenever Ashley arrived home with the little ones. At 4:22 p.m., motion detection triggered the camera, capturing Ryan Dodd approaching the still-open garage door from the side yard. Ashley had divorced Dodd four years earlier after enduring years of controlling behavior, harassment, and escalating threats.
Court documents later revealed Ashley obtained a protection order in 2023 after Dodd repeatedly showed up uninvited at her dental office where she worked as a hygienist, sent threatening texts, and once followed her vehicle for more than 20 miles. Despite the order, Dodd violated it on multiple occasions, resulting in two misdemeanor stalking convictions and one count of violating a protective order. Each time he received probation rather than incarceration. Ashley had confided in close friends and family that she lived with constant fear of Dodd reappearing, yet she refused to allow that fear to control her life or prevent her from raising her children.
At 4:23 p.m., Dodd stepped into the garage. Ashley immediately dropped the grocery bag, backed away, and raised her hands in a defensive posture. Within seconds Dodd closed the distance and attacked with a knife. Adam, watching the live feed, screamed Ashley’s name and dialed 911 at 4:24:12 p.m. The 911 call recording captures Adam shouting: “My wife is being stabbed in our garage—he has a knife—send help now!” The dispatcher confirmed the address while Adam remained glued to the screen, yelling Ashley’s name over and over.
The assault lasted less than 90 seconds. Security footage shows Dodd stabbing Ashley repeatedly in the chest, neck, and upper torso while she attempted to shield herself and retreat toward the interior door. She managed one audible plea—“Ryan, stop!”—before collapsing to the concrete floor. Dodd stood over her briefly, breathing heavily, then dropped the knife and fled on foot through the side yard. Adam raced downstairs, still on the line with dispatch, and reached the garage just as Dodd vanished around the corner. He dropped beside Ashley and began CPR, screaming for the children—who had heard the screams and locked themselves in an upstairs bedroom—to stay upstairs and not come down.
First responders arrived at 4:31 p.m., seven minutes after Adam’s call. Despite aggressive life-saving measures, Ashley was pronounced dead at the scene at 4:48 p.m. from multiple stab wounds, including one that severed the carotid artery, causing rapid exsanguination. Dodd was apprehended less than 40 minutes later, hiding in a nearby drainage culvert still wearing blood-soaked clothing. He was arrested without resistance and booked into the Jackson County Detention Center.
Dodd now faces charges of first-degree murder, first-degree burglary (for unlawfully entering the garage with intent to commit a crime), aggravated stalking, and violation of a protective order. Prosecutors have announced they will seek life imprisonment without parole. Dodd’s public defender has requested a mental-health evaluation, citing a history of untreated bipolar disorder and substance abuse, but prosecutors argue the long pattern of stalking, repeated violations of court orders, and the deliberate, targeted nature of the attack demonstrate premeditation and intent.
Ashley was remembered by friends, coworkers, and her children’s school community as an endlessly loving, resilient mother who worked full-time, volunteered at school events, and always prioritized her family. “She was the heartbeat of our home,” her older sister Megan told reporters. “She lived in fear of him for years, did everything the system told her to do—filed reports, got the order, moved houses—and it still wasn’t enough to protect her.”
Adam Stewart has been left to raise six grieving children, the youngest only 5 years old. He has spoken publicly only once, releasing a brief statement through the family’s attorney: “I watched the woman I love die on my phone while I begged for help that came too late. There are no words for that kind of helplessness. My only focus now is protecting our children and making sure this never happens to another family.”
The security footage—while graphic and deeply traumatic—has been preserved as critical evidence and will likely be presented (in redacted form) at trial to demonstrate the brutality and premeditated nature of the attack. A GoFundMe created within hours of the news has raised more than $340,000 to cover funeral expenses, counseling for the children, and long-term support. Nightly candlelight vigils have filled the front lawn of the family home, with teddy bears, handwritten notes, and flowers covering every inch of the yard.
Ashley’s murder has reignited urgent calls for reform in Missouri’s handling of stalking and domestic violence cases. Advocates are demanding mandatory jail time (not probation) for repeat violations of protective orders, better-funded victim services, and stronger enforcement mechanisms. Megan, Ashley’s sister, has emerged as a reluctant but resolute advocate: “If anything good can come from this nightmare, let it be that no other woman dies while the system watches and waits.”
For the Stewart children, the loss is beyond measure. Their mother’s laughter, bedtime stories, hugs after school, unwavering love—all stolen in under two minutes on an ordinary January afternoon. For Adam, the trauma of witnessing the murder in real time on a phone screen while unable to physically intervene will likely haunt him for the rest of his life.
Ashley Stewart’s murder is more than a single family’s tragedy. It is a brutal reminder that far too often, the greatest danger to a woman comes from the man she once loved—and that protective orders, on their own, are tragically insufficient when enforcement fails and the system prioritizes leniency over safety.