News

Former Bottineau resident arrested for double murder

By Scott Wagar

03/17/2015

A one time Bottineau resident has been arrested and charged with two counts of murder and three counts of false imprisonment in the state of Wisconsin in what appears to be family dispute within the home.

Ashlee A. Martinson, 17, who lived in Bottineau from 2010 to 2014, has been charged with killing her mother, Jennifer Ayers, 40, and her stepfather, Thomas Ayers, 37. 

It is not certain what caused Martinson to murder her parents, but according to court documents, the Oneida County Dispatch received a 911 call from the Ayers’ home in Piehl, Wis., at 10:43 a.m. on Sunday, March 8, from the nine-year-old daughter of the Ayers who stated there was an emergency in her home. 

When law enforcement entered into the Ayers’ home they discovered the bodies of Jennifer and Thomas Ayers, along with Martinson’s three siblings, who she had locked in the room the day before by tying the door knob shut.

The nine-year-old sister informed the police that Martinson had killed her parents and locked her and her other two sisters in a room with food and juice. 

The nine-year-old stated that on the day before she and her mom were on the main floor of the house when they heard gun shots from the upstairs of their home. Her mom went upstairs and then called for her to come upstairs where she found her mom and Martinson arguing. 

Martinson then placed her three siblings in the room and tied the door shut with a rope. The nine-year-old was able to get out of the room Sunday morning and made the 911 call.

Law enforcement through their investigation discovered that Thomas was shot in the head and was found in the upstairs hallway, while Jennifer was stabbed to death and found on the top landing of the staircase. 

In the kitchen, law enforcement found a rifle with a bloody knife and also discovered blood outside of the Ayers’ home. 

Confusion to the crimes played out through the entire weekend, which started on Friday with a birthday party for Martinson who turned 17. 

On Saturday, Martinson didn’t show up for work at a Shopko store located at Rhinelander; and, later that night she called her best friend, who was also 17-years-old, and told her that she wouldn’t be able to move into a apartment with her on Sunday because she had to go to a funeral in Kansas.

It was discovered that Martinson was with her 22-year-old boyfriend, Ryan Sisco, traveling in a 1999 Chevrolet Silverado. The two were arrested and taken into custody in Boone County, Ind. 

After her arrest, Martinson was taken to a local hospital due to injuries.

Martinson is currently in jail in Indiana and is waiting extradition back to Wisconsin. She has been charged with two counts of first degree intentional homicide and three counts of false imprisonment. The homicide charge is a Class A Felony with a maximum penalty of life in prison.

The false imprisonment charge is a Class H felony with a maximum penalty of six years in jail, a $10,000 fine or both. 
Sisco has not been charged with any crime, but is still in jail.