Naman Shrestha
When 40-year-old Ashley Schwalm was found dead in the town of The Blue Mountains in early 2023, the entire community was shocked to its core. Initially, the detectives considered the possibility of it being the result of an accident, but they eventually uncovered a darker truth that led them to the perpetrator. All the intricate details related to the case and the investigation that ensued are explored in the episode titled ‘Running Man’ of NBC’s ‘Dateline.’
Ashley Schwalm’s Early Life Was Marked by Loss, Familial Bonds, and Passion for Sports
Ashley Jane Milnes was the daughter of Ian Milnes and Shelley Anne Milnes (née Stocks). She was born sometime in the early 1980s and was raised in the northern part of Toronto, Ontario, with love, care, and warmth alongside her siblings, Lesley Anne, Lindsey Patricia, and Ian David. The family owned a swanky chalet in Collingwood in Simcoe County, where the kids would often create beautiful memories over the weekends. Ashley, also known as AJ, had always been athletic and loved to head out for hikes and runs or refine her skills in golf and tennis. She enjoyed watching a wide range of sports and was an avid fan of the Green Bay Packers football team. Her compassionate, helpful and joyous personality, coupled with her infectious smile, radiated warmth and positivity.
The members of the Milnes family shared a tight-knit bond with each other, which only grew stronger as the kids grew up. However, tragedy struck the household on September 25, 2004, when Shelley lost her battle with cancer at the age of 55. However, they carried on with one another’s support. Ashley really pulled through at the time by serving as a sounding board for her siblings, cousins, and friends. Ashley was deeply adored by her family and friends. The free-spirited individual could lighten up a dull room and make anyone’s day. It was one of the characteristics that enamored James William Schwalm.
The Remains of the Mother of Two Were Found in Her Burnt Car in a Ditch
Ashley and James soon began dating and got to know each other better while spending time skiing on the snowy slopes and on dinner dates. The pair got engaged in the early 2010s and started living in the house they bought together in Collingwood. In September 2012, James and Ashley tied the knot in a lavish ceremony in Craigleith. On the professional front, Ashley had built her career in the interior design field and set up an interior design and home-staging company. She obtained her education from Dalhousie University and the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. Meanwhile, James served in the fire department and had been promoted to the post of a fire captain. Over the years, their family expanded as they welcomed a son, a daughter and a cute dog named Rocco. They acquired a brick house with Tudor-style architecture in the same town and relocated there in 2018.
A couple of years later, in the summer of 2021, Ashley found employment at a Port Carling-based construction company that specialized in cabins, ski chalets, and getaway spaces. By 2023, she had moved on to work as a Project Coordinator at Blake Farrow Project Management, a custom building and renovation firm based in Collingwood. The Schwalms were reputed members of the community. Ashley was grateful for her fulfilling life, which included the support of her husband, love of her 6-year-old daughter and 9-year-old son, her flourishing career, and their stunning home. She wanted to do everything she could to give her babies the best life and see them grow up to be exceptional individuals.
Ashley’s dream remained unfulfilled as her life was tragically cut short on January 26, 2023. On the fateful day, the SUV of the mother of two was discovered in the depths of a ditch in the Town of Blue Mountains. The vehicle was severely burned, and her remains were also burned beyond recognition. The authorities identified the remains as belonging to the 40-year-old through dental records. While the police began an investigation into what appeared to be an accident on the surface, the unraveling of new details raised suspicions of something amiss. As per the examination conducted by a forensic pathologist, Ashley died from severe neck compressions even before the vehicle caught fire. An autopsy confirmed the pathologist’s assessment that Ashley’s cause of death was neck trauma resulting from strangulation. The officers also discovered a lighter from the scene, which proved significant in identifying the perpetrator.
Ashley Schwalm’s Killer Was Someone Close to Her
Due to the suspicious circumstances surrounding the sudden death of Ashley Schwalm, the detectives dug deep into her personal life, especially her marriage to James Schwalm. They learned that she had gotten into an extramarital affair with her boss, Steve, at the Port Carling-based company in 2022. Eventually, James and Steve’s wife, Alexandra, found out about the adultery in April 2022. While Alexandra filed for divorce, James and Ashley decided to fix their marriage by regularly going to couples counseling and individual therapy sessions. Not long after, James began an affair with Alexandra, for whom he also developed romantic feelings. Around the Christmas season in 2022, both James and Ashley allegedly confided in their respective families about their deteriorating marriage.
About ten days before Ashley’s demise, James confessed his romantic feelings to Alexandra, who told him that she also felt the same way for him. After reflecting on it for a few days, on January 21, 2023, he texted her that he had made a decision. The detectives learned that a couple of weeks prior to his wife’s passing, he had surfed the internet, doing searches about car fires, alimony, and if deleted search histories were traceable. Moreover, at the time of the murder, he was the sole beneficiary of Ashley’s $1 million life insurance policy. According to reports, during the early hours of January 26, 2023, the couple got into a heated argument, which awakened their son, who was instructed to return to bed by James.
The Killer Tried to Make Ashley’s Death Look Like an Accident
After the discovery of Ashley’s remains, the police questioned him, and he claimed that she had gone for a morning hike at the Craigleith Ski Club but didn’t return home. He also showed the detectives a few text messages between him and Ashley that morning and claimed that he was out walking the dog before she left the house. However, the investigators managed to get to the bottom of the case. Reportedly, James, a former fire captain with the Brampton Fire and Emergency Services, had strangled his wife inside their house in Collingwood while their kids were asleep in their room and tried to stage her death as an accident.
After killing her in the early hours of January 26, 2023, James dressed her in hiking clothes and placed her remains in her car before driving it to the area of Alpine Ski Club. The husband then drove the car off the road and staged the crash. He proceeded to pour gas inside the vehicle and Ashley’s remains before setting them ablaze. Before that, he had already staged a text conversation with himself using her phone to prove his innocence to the police later. James returned home and sent both the kids to school, where they opened up to the school officials about the past night’s incidents. Eventually, about a week later, he was arrested and charged with Ashley’s murder.
James Schwalm is Currently Behind Bars For Killing His Wife
More than a year later, in June 2024, James Schwalm pleaded guilty to second-degree murder of his wife, Ashley Schwalm. He also admitted to his crimes, giving a detailed account of how he drove his wife’s remains to the Alpine ski club and set the vehicle on fire along with her remains. In late November, several of Ashley’s loved ones took the stand and gave emotional victim impact statements, directed at the convict. Her sister stated, “No amount of justice will ever be enough for the monstrous act he has committed.”
Meanwhile, her father, Ian, said, “This selfish act only benefited you, Jamie. This was perpetrated by a smart man, a leader, a first responder.” The sister also added that James had deceived them as he “sat there broken and grieving while we consoled him, even though he knew what he’d done.” A few months later, on February 10, 2025, the former fire captain was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for at least two decades. As of today, he is seemingly serving his sentence at a Canadian prison facility.
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