Extradition hearing for man connected to missing woman case delayed after new gun charges in Beaver County

A man connected to a missing woman in the Washington, D.C., area is facing new charges in Beaver County, delaying an extradition to the nation's capital.

Wearing a striped orange jumpsuit, 65-year-old Russell Ashford, who used to work for the CIA, received an escort to a courtroom at the Beaver County Courthouse on Wednesday afternoon, ready to face a judge for his extradition hearing, related to a parole violation.

However, within 20 minutes, the judge cancelled it after learning Pennsylvania State Police filed seven new charges of being prohibited from possessing a firearm.

Police found 7 guns at home

Beaver County District Attorney Nate Bible said those charges stemmed from a conviction in Montgomery County, Maryland, from 2021 for Ashford assaulting 53-year-old Antoinette Forbes, the mother of his 10-year-old son, breaking bones in her face and jaw. He's currently on probation for that conviction. 

"These cases take time, so he'll probably be in the Beaver County Jail for the foreseeable future," Bible said.

Court documents reveal state police discovered seven firearms on Tuesday at a home in Ohioville Borough, Pennsylvania, belonging to a woman who said she was dating Ashford on and off. 

She told investigators last year Ashford "asked her to let him store his firearms at her house because he was 'going to D.C.'" She said she most recently saw him this July but "there were instances where she hasn't seen him for months at a time."

The new charges come as investigators started tracking Ashford's movements when they learned he had been in D.C., where Forbes hasn't been seen for more than a week. Police said Ashford wasn't supposed to leave Pennsylvania. 

Connection to missing woman case

As investigators searched for Forbes, they were also trying to find her and Ashford's 10-year-old son. They eventually tracked down both the boy and Ashford in a car in Brighton Township. Bible said the son is now safe and back with other family.

However, Forbes remains missing, with Beaver County law enforcement saying they're assisting however they can with the investigation.

"I do know that they have made some efforts to search," Bible said. "I don't know how involved our local police or state police are."

Maryland court records reveal years of a custody battle between Forbes and Ashford. At this time, police have not charged Ashford in Forbes' disappearance, but Bible wants to send the Forbes family this message.

"You've got people all over the country looking for your loved one and trying to fight for you. You know, we're in different states, but it doesn't make a difference," Bible said. "We're looking for that person just as if it was a Beaver County resident."

As for the new charges, Ashford's preliminary hearing is set for Sept. 28.