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Antoinette Forbes missing for 1 month: Family speaks out as domestic abuse details surface
Antoinette Forbes' family is speaking out one month after the Washington, D.C., mother went missing. Newly uncovered court documents reveal a history of domestic violence and a 2021 conviction involving her ex-boyfriend, Russell Ashford.
WASHINGTON - As the search for missing D.C. mother Antoinette Forbes nears its second month, her family is telling FOX 5 about what they've learned over the last four weeks, including the alleged history of domestic violence between Forbes and the father of her 10-year-old son.
Disappearance of Antoinette Forbes
Court audio reveals past testimony from missing DC woman and her ex-boyfriend
Newly uncovered court audio revealed a volatile past between missing Washington, D.C. woman Antoinette Forbes and her ex-boyfriend who was previously convicted for assaulting her.
The backstory:
Forbes was last seen on Sept. 4, at her house on Nebraska Avenue Northwest. Her close friends reported her missing two days later, after finding her dog, car, phone and wallet at home.
That same night, police say Russell Ashford, the father of Forbes' 10-year-old son, took the boy without authorization, allegedly violating his probation.
Ashford was arrested last month in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, for violating the terms of his probation. Investigators have not named Ashford as a suspect in Forbes' disappearance.
2021 assault conviction
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Past court testimony revealed in case of missing DC woman Antoinette Forbes
Past court testimony was revealed in the case of missing D.C. woman Antoinette Forbes and her ex-boyfriend and father of her child, Russell Ashford.
What we know:
FOX 5 DC previously reported on Forbes and Ashford's rocky history. According to court records, Ashford pleaded guilty to first-degree assault in 2021, after attacking Forbes during an argument over their son's schooling.
Prosecutors said the attack left Forbes with facial fractures, eye damage, a concussion and other injuries.
Ashford served nine months of a 15-year sentence, followed by five years of probation.
Aileen Forbes, Antoinette Forbes' sister, told FOX 5 DC's Regina Yurrita that the family didn't know about the attack until Ashford's recent arrest.
What they're saying:
Aileen Forbes told Yurrita that the last four weeks seem "unreal."
"It's still unbelievable to me, that something so extreme and sinister could happen to such a good, kind, beloved person as my sister," said Aileen Forbes. "So it's been a struggle, and I, of course, miss her."
Speaking about Ashford and the revelation of the 2021 assault, Aileen Forbes said that her sister "wanted to protect her family from just this darkness — this dark menace in her life."
"I feel that [on] some level that she thought she could control it and manage it," Aileen Forbes said.
What you can do:
The family is still asking anyone who might have any information about Antoinette Forbes' whereabouts to contact authorities.
The Source: Information in this story is from reporting by FOX 5's Regina Yurrita, including an interview with Antoinette Forbes' sister Aileen Forbes, and court records detailing a 2021 assault suffered by Antoinette Forbes at the hands of her son's father, Russell Ashford.