DOB: Jan 24, 1989
Missing: Jul 6, 2004
Height: 5'3" (160 cm)
Eyes: Blue
Race: White
Sex: Female
Weight: 110 lbs (50 kg)
Hair: Sandy
Missing From:
SAINT JOSEPH
MO
United States

Ashley was last seen on July 6, 2004. She may still be in the local area or she may have traveled out of the state in a gray 1995 Pontiac Bonneville with Missouri license plates 377MPY. Ashley's tongue, navel and ears are pierced. She has a scar on her left arm.

Saint Joseph Police Department (Missouri) 1-816-271-4777
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Ashley Martinez

Fifteen-year-old Ashley Martinez was a fun-loving young girl who enjoyed swimming. She would often go to the neighborhood's public swimming pool. On July 6, 2004, Ashley's mother, Tammy Navinskey, dropped her and a younger brother off at Krug Pool. Later, when Tammy returned to pick up her children, only her son was waiting for her. Ashley was nowhere to be seen.

Tammy contacted local authorities to report her daughter missing. Investigators learned that Ashley had mentioned to friends that she was going to run away. She had also been seeing a man, named Christopher Hart. Hart, a 32-year-old convicted felon, lived near Ashley's home and had been promising her he would take her to California one day. Earlier that summer, Hart had been arrested for theft of a woman's purse. After his release, Hart failed to appear in court and a warrant was issued for his arrest.

Law enforcement authorities quickly initiated a search for the missing child. "She disappeared the same day he disappeared," said Sergeant Jill Voltmer of the St. Joseph Police Department. "We're making the jump that she probably did leave with him." A description of Hart went out to all state and national law enforcement agencies. It was believed that he was driving a gray, 1995 Pontiac Bonneville, with a Missouri license plate number 377-MPY, and that Ashley could be with him.

Ashley's mother told the police that her daughter had run away before, but had not been gone for long. This time she left with only the clothes on her back. Ashley had not even taken along the medication for a bi-polar disorder from which she suffered. "She's so much a danger to herself, let alone anybody else she comes into contact with," said Tammy of her daughter.

On September 7th, Olympia, Washington police arrested Christopher Hart for purse snatching. They discovered a warrant was out on him and he was also wanted for parole violations. But young Ashley was not found with him. Hart proved to be uncooperative with the Olympia and St. Joseph law enforcement authorities on Ashley's whereabouts.

"We don't have any information at this point that would indicate that this missing female ever actually showed up in the Olympia-Thurston County area, or Washington state," said Olympia Police Commander Tor Bjornstad. "We talked to the people this guy was staying with when he was arrested, and they say he showed up here and he showed up alone and that (they) don't know anything about a female...and the guy in jail, he's not talking." Christopher Hart exhibited bizarre and unorthodox behavior while in jail. He has been sent to Western State Hospital for a mental evaluation, prior to his arraignment in court. Hart has still yet to reveal the whereabouts of Ashley Martinez and what he knows about the case.

Ashley Martinez has not yet been found. She was last seen wearing blue-jean shorts, a black top with red cherries, and white Reebok tennis shoes. Ashley has a scar on her left arm and her tongue, navel and ears are pierced. Law enforcement authorities still consider her case as open and Ashley as missing and endangered. Anyone with information on this case is urged to immediately contact the St. Joseph Police Department (816-271-4777).

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