BRIGHTON TOWNSHIP, Pa. — The father of a 10-year-old boy whose mother has been missing from Washington, D.C. for 10 days was arrested during a traffic stop in Brighton Township Saturday morning.
He has not been charged in her disappearance but is being held in the Beaver County Jail.
Antoinette Forbes was last seen near her home in Washington, D.C. on Friday, September 4th. Her sister said they spoke on FaceTime the next morning.
Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
But she did not connect to their usual Sunday family phone call. Her sister spoke with NBC4 in Washington, D.C. last week.
“She’s my beloved sister, a beloved daughter, a mother, colleague, friend; we want her to come home,” said Aileen Forbes.
Forbes’ friends said they checked on her, and she wasn’t home, but had left her phone, wallet, keys, car, and dog behind.
Russell Ashford, Forbes’ son’s father, was arrested during a traffic stop around 10:20 a.m. Saturday in Brighton Township for violating his parole. Police used license plate readers to track him.
“They were able to track him with the use of LPRs, license plate readers, so they can see him going down the highway, several different stops that were made, and then ultimately can kind of follow his path for the most part from Washington, D.C. up to Brighton Township,” said Beaver County District Attorney Nate Bible. “Ultimately, a parole violation was lodged on him for leaving the state.”
Bible told Channel 11 that Maryland Police said Ashford is retired from the CIA.
He was on parole after being convicted of assaulting Forbes in 2021 and serving 5 years of probation.
Court records from a lengthy custody battle show Ashford lives in an apartment at Bridgewater Crossing.
The DA said the 10-year-old boy was with Ashford at the time of his arrest. He said a family member came to get him.
“He is safe, and he is unharmed,” Bible said.
Bible said detectives are able to help in the search locally if D.C. and Maryland Police ask for help.
Forbes’ family and friends held a vigil this weekend for her, asking anyone with information to come forward.
“Our thoughts in prayers go out to her family and hopefully she is found and she’s found to be unharmed,” Bible said.
It’s unclear when Ashford will be transported to DC.
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