An Oklahoma man allegedly killed his ex-wife and kidnapped the 5-year-old son they shared, months after the woman had filed a protective order warning police of his behavior.
Chase Ainsworth, 34, was arrested on Friday for first-degree murder in connection to the death of his 31-year-old ex-wife, Samantha Ainsworth.
He was also booked on charges of child stealing after fleeing the scene with their 5-year-old son, Oklahoma City police said in a statement.
According to an incident report obtained by HuffPost, police responded to a domestic disturbance call on Friday, where they found Samantha Ainsworth collapsed on the floor of her bedroom and covered in blood. According to police, she died after being transported to a hospital.
Oklahoma City Police Department Captain Michelle Henderson told local Fox affiliate KOKH-TV that the couple’s 7-year-old daughter was inside the home at time of the alleged murder.
“Obviously the 7-year-old was very upset, the neighbors who discovered this were very upset,” Henderson said. “We’re just working through information that is very traumatic for everybody involved in these kind of situations.”
Officers zeroed in on Chase Ainsworth after they received information that he allegedly left the scene with the 5-year-old boy.
Oklahoma Highway Patrol issued an immediate advisory declaring the son an at-risk missing person, adding that Chase had been known to use drugs and he was armed with a knife.
Police said they located the two the same day, barricaded inside a home about 4.5 miles away from where the mother was found dead.
According to the statement, the 5-year-old was found unharmed, and the father was taken into custody.
Court records showed the couple, who had been married for about a decade, divorced last year.
Following their divorce, Samantha Ainsworth filed for a protective order against Chase Ainsworth in February. He violated the order twice, according to court records.
He first violated on Feb. 24, when he showed at his ex-wife’s home. Then, police merely told him to leave because officers “could not verify at the time” if he had been served the protection order.
The next day, on Feb. 25, Samantha Ainsworth called police to report that her ex-husband had attempted to break into her home, according to an affidavit obtained by HuffPost. He also allegedly sent her “hundreds” of text messages following the break-in. Chase Ainsworth was subsequently charged with stalking.
According to court documents cited by local news outlet News 9, one of the text messages he sent his ex-wife said she will “continue to be his prophet until I leave this earth.”
In an email to HuffPost on Tuesday, Cleveland County Clerk Marilyn Williams said no charges have been filed against Chase Ainsworth, but they are expected to be on Friday.
Need help? In the U.S., call 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) for the National Domestic Violence Hotline.