An Illinois man from Rockford has been arrested and charged with the kidnapping and murder of his ex-girlfriend in Roscoe.
Officers responded to an address in the 300 block of Cole Avenue around 3:45 a.m. Saturday for a missing person, according to the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Department. They learned during their investigation that 38-year-old Ashley Hardin was missing under suspicious circumstances and named ex-boyfriend 46-year-old Rayshawn Smith as a person of interest.
At around 7:35 a.m., the Roscoe Police Department responded to reports of a dead body behind a business in the 5100 block of E. Rockton Road. A murder investigation was started, and the body was found to be Hardin.
Smith released a video where he said “I gave her every opportunity to be honest with me. Instead, she chose to constantly deal in deception. I’m tired of it. Period.”
Smith was located in the 300 block of N. Main Street. He was taken into custody and charged with First Degree Murder, Aggravated Kidnapping and Aggravated Unlawful Restraint. He is being held in the Winnebago County Jail on a $2 million bond.
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