Following her disappearance in 2006, Ashley Reeves went through a lot. She later gained notoriety for having survived three attempts at strangling. Her teacher, who was also having sex with Reeves, made an attempt on her life.
Because Ashley was just 17 years old and the phone was registered in her mother’s name, the phone company was called when she vanished. All of her phone records, including incoming and outgoing calls, were accessible to her.
Michelle looked over the data and found numerous calls coming from the same phone number. Samson Shelton, 26, was chosen by Michelle to be her conversation partner.
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Michelle asked Samson if he had heard or seen Ashley. Before she could inquire why he was speaking to her teenage daughter, he hastily hung up the phone. Ashley, thankfully, kept her friends informed about her personal life, and Michelle’s reaction to what they told the police made her shudder.
According to her acquaintances, Ashley had a romantic relationship with Samson, an older man who also happened to be her teacher. After spending hours being questioned, Samson admitted to having sex with her and being present when she passed away.
Ashey Reeves Is A Survivor Of Three Strange Attempts
The survivor’s story, Ashley Reeves, was also featured in the film Left for Dead. Her parents reported her missing to the police after she went missing.
Her boyfriend at the time, Jeremy, was the first suspect because she had used his car that day, but he was quickly cleared because he knew nothing about her disappearance.
Sam Shelton was arrested as a minor suspect after her family discovered that he was the most recent person she spoke with. He stated that he hadn’t seen her in days and had no idea where she was.
As the interrogator pressed him further, he changed his story. After a 12-hour interrogation, he finally admitted to his relationship with Reeves and what he did to her. He confessed to strangling her three times before abandoning her in the cold. He confessed to strangling her three times before abandoning her in the cold.
Ashley Reeves had to relearn a lot of things after becoming paralyzed
Reeves had some memory loss after the attack. She couldn’t stop thinking about their argument that day. She had to relearn how to eat, speak, and move her limbs, making her recuperation difficult.
The doctors had advised her parents that she would take some time to get back to her old self. They added that there was a chance she wouldn’t make it.
Ashley had been left there for 32 hours despite several efforts to choke her to death. Rapidly reacting EMTs took her to a local hospital, where she was put into an induced coma.
Detectives recognized the importance of the first 48 hours and wasted no time in looking for the missing teen. Ashley would not have been discovered in time if they hadn’t persuaded Samson to bring them to her.
Is Sam Shelton, the teacher, still in prison?
Sam Shelton is presently behind bars and will stay there until 2024. Surprisingly, in 2006, he was given a home arrest order and released on bond. The treatment of the guy who at the time attempted to kill a youngster offended a large number of people.
Sam’s mother Susan called the police to report that he had tried suicide by taking a combination of prescription medications and alcohol just before he was charged with attempted murder in court.
Samson’s mental state was questioned by the judge presiding over Ashley’s case, but the prosecution maintained that it was only a ruse to win sympathy from potential jurors.
A month later, a psychiatrist determined Samson was mentally competent to stand trial. Nonetheless, Ashley’s family decided that they did not want her to go through the ordeal she had endured on April 27 and agreed to a plea bargain. Samson accepted the plea bargain and was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
In Left for Dead: The Ashley Reeves Story on Lifetime, a true account of suffering and survival is explored. According to the Illinois Daily Journal, Ashley Reeves, 17, went missing on April 27, 2006, and was subsequently found struggling for breath in a park.
When officials discovered her, she was barely breathing, had a broken neck, and had been choked. Following an investigation, police accused Samson Shelton, a 26-year-old high school teacher who knew Reeves, of the crime. He had first met her in middle school, and they later fell in love.
Crime Watch Daily said that Reeves claimed she was hurt while trying to break up with Shelton following a fight. Shelton admitted fault for the split but largely corroborated Reeves’ account. Shelton allegedly admitted to trying to force her out of a moving car and carrying her to the park “to make it look like she had been strangled there” as her neck began to break, according to CBS.
In 2007, after entering a plea of guilty to attempted first-degree murder, he received a 20-year prison term. The crime that irrevocably altered Reeves’ life is described in detail here, along with a current status update.
Her assailant was convicted after getting caught in a lie
Shelton was merely a minor lead in the initial investigations, St. Clair County Patrol Division Lieutenant Michael Hundelt said Elizabeth Smart for Crime Watch Daily. He gave false statements during his initial questioning, claiming he hadn’t seen Reeves in days.
Investigators were alarmed when Shelton was discovered repeatedly altering his account, first saying his relationship with Reeves was platonic then confessing. A person having nothing to hide would ask “Why would you change it that drastically?” after noticing how drastically the story had been altered. Crime Watch Daily was informed by Swansea Police Chief Steven Johnson.
When it was discovered that Shelton was with Reeves the day she vanished, his web of deceit started to fall apart. Shelton eventually confessed to assaulting Reeves and leaving her for dead after a 12-hour interrogation.
As a result of the attack, Reeves suffered traumatic brain injuries
Reeves acknowledged that after their separation, she and Shelton fought, but she also said that the fight was the last memory she has of the assault. She admitted to Smart that she has no memory of the days before or after the attack.
After being found more than 30 hours after the attempted murder, Reeves had a tough time recovering. Reeves, a former outstanding athlete, reportedly had to relearn how to speak, swallow, and use her limbs.
In 2017, as part of an episode of Crime Watch Daily, she and Smart went back to the location of their rescue. Reeves remarked, “It’s hard to comprehend that I was here for so long and in such horrible form.
“It makes me feel like I’m as tough as everyone says I am.” I’m a fighter, and I just want to push myself further and further.”
Anwen O’Driscoll, who plays Reeves in the Lifetime film, told the Sioux City Journal that while preparing for the role, she reached out to Reeves but didn’t want to question her about the experience. The story revolves heavily around Reeves’ recovery and Shelton’s trial.
“I wouldn’t want to come at her with such a heavy subject,” O’Driscoll explained. “It’s her story, and I think she’s done talking about it and having people attack her about it.”
Reeves now keeps a low profile
Except for the 2017 interview with Smart, Reeves has attempted to move past the entire situation. She commented following Shelton’s conviction in 2007: “I’m glad it’s over.” “I just want to stop worrying about it and move on with my life.” She actually did it exactly that way.
At the age of 32, Reeves is a father of two kids. Her family is being raised in Illinois while she works as a caretaker, according to the Lifetime movie’s closing credits.
According to jail records, Shelton is still completing his sentence in the Hill Correctional Center in Galesburg, Illinois. The date of his parole eligibility is April 22, 2024. By then, he will be 44.
