WASHINGTON, DC — Forensic investigators spent hours inside the Northwest Washington home of missing D.C. mother Antoinette Forbes on Tuesday, carrying out brown paper bags and other items as the search for answers entered a new phase. A source close to the investigation said a homicide detective is now leading the case, though Metropolitan Police Department has not publicly called it a homicide investigation.
The development came nearly two weeks after Forbes vanished and as a separate court case involving her former partner, Russell Ashford, advanced in Pennsylvania. Police have not said what was removed from the house or whether anything collected will be used as evidence. Forbes, 53, was last seen Sept. 4 in the 3200 block of Nebraska Avenue Northwest near Foxhall Road.
Inside the home on Nebraska Avenue
7News cameras captured investigators inside Forbes’ home for hours before they left with multiple bags and loaded them into a van. The home is in the 3200 block of Nebraska Avenue Northwest, the same place where friends later found a series of concerning details after Forbes stopped responding.
Former D.C. homicide detective Kenneth Jarels said that kind of scene would immediately draw investigators’ attention. He said police may be looking for documents, digital devices and other material that could help reconstruct what happened. Jarels also stressed that he could not call the residence a crime scene based only on what had been made public.
The presence of a homicide detective does not mean police have concluded Forbes is dead. MPD has not named a suspect or person of interest, and it has not described the home search in detail.
Family members describe contact after the disappearance
Forbes’ family says the timeline may not end with her last confirmed sighting on Friday afternoon. Her sister, Aileen Forbes, said she spoke with her on FaceTime Saturday morning. The sisters laughed, discussed future plans and did not have what Aileen described as an unusual conversation.
A friend also told 7News that Forbes responded to a text message that same morning. By Sunday, the mood had changed. Aileen said she texted her sister after learning Forbes had COVID, but this time there was no reply. She said that was out of character and deeply worrying.
Family members have described Forbes as a devoted mother and a successful professional. They have continued to ask anyone who saw her or noticed anything unusual to contact police.
Unlocked door, missing essentials and a dog left behind
A friend who went to check on Forbes later found the front door unlocked. Inside, the friend saw Forbes’ keys, wallet, purse and two cellphones. Her car was still in the driveway, and her dog was inside the house. Police were called after that check-in.
Jarels said those details, especially when considered together, would stand out to investigators as red flags. He pointed to the phones, keys, wallet, car and dog as the kind of clues that can help or confuse an investigation because they may show what was left behind and what was not.
The family has said the disappearance feels completely out of character. Friends have also said they were not aware of how serious the situation in Forbes’ personal life had been before she went missing.
Pennsylvania adds seven gun counts against Russell Ashford
A separate development Tuesday involved Russell Ashford, Forbes’ former partner and the father of her 10-year-old son. He had been set for an extradition hearing in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, as Maryland sought to bring him back on a Montgomery County probation violation warrant.
That hearing did not go forward. Instead, Pennsylvania prosecutors filed seven felony counts of possession of a prohibited firearm. According to the criminal complaint, investigators say seven weapons were tied to Ashford: two pistols, two shotguns and three rifles.
Police allege the guns were stored at a girlfriend’s home in May. The woman told investigators she did not know Ashford was barred from possessing firearms. Ashford did not speak during his brief court appearance.
The Maryland assault case that led to the gun ban
The firearm prohibition cited by Pennsylvania authorities traces to a 2021 first-degree assault case in Montgomery County involving Forbes. Maryland court records show Ashford was charged after a June 10, 2021 incident and later pleaded guilty on Dec. 14, 2021.
Court records reviewed by 7News describe injuries to Forbes that included multiple facial fractures, damage to her right eye, a concussion and an injury to her hand. The records also say the couple’s young son was present. Ashford was sentenced in April 2022 to 15 years, with all but nine months suspended, plus five years of supervised probation.
The docket also shows a court order requiring him to surrender firearms on April 25, 2022. In a separate family case, a Montgomery County judge granted Forbes emergency sole legal and physical custody and ordered Ashford to have no contact with her or the child until further order of the court.
What happens next in the two-state investigation
A judge in Pennsylvania said the new gun case will be handled before Ashford is extradited to Maryland. He was expected to have a preliminary arraignment at the jail, followed by a preliminary hearing within about 10 days. Beaver County District Attorney Nate Bible previously said Pennsylvania authorities were assisting law enforcement from D.C. and Maryland, including with search warrants.
Bible also said license plate readers helped investigators track Ashford’s vehicle and that the alleged probation violation involved travel into Maryland or the D.C. area. Maryland court records also show Ashford returned before Judge David Lease for a reconsideration hearing on July 9, 2026, with the docket listing “probation before judgment” and “Probation Modified.”
Despite the court activity, Ashford has not been charged in connection with Forbes’ disappearance, and MPD has not publicly identified him as a suspect or person of interest. Anyone with information about Forbes is asked to call D.C. police at 202-727-9099 or text a tip to 50411.
