But was money the only motive . Or was there Something Else . There were a lot of rumors goin around that ended up being true. I couldnt believe that somebody could do that to her. Just pure evil hello and welcome to dateline. Ashlea had no shortage of admirers, even her ex sung her praises. So when she was found dead, police were baffled. This was no accident, but were the clues now up in smoke . Would take a determined detective and stolen key to unlock this mystery. Heres Keith Morrison with black friday. Reporter a hot august night in texas, 2014. The lone figure knew where to go, knew where the store kept the cash. Grabbed 18,000, and was gone. But it was only money. And no one got hurt. Not that time, anyway. The story begins here in fort worth, texas, which turned out to be the perfect growing up place for a rough and tumble, free spirit named Ashlea Harris. I was around 10 when she was born and so the perfect age to pretend she was my baby. Reporter melissa hill is ashleas eldest sister. She marched to the a beat of a different drum. She would wear just things that did not match. Her hair was just didnt seem combed, you know. Reporter she was never the Little Princess type . No. No. Reporter there were three girls in the family. Ashlea was the baby. Their mom, monica, remembers how ashlea loved sports and music and art and bingo it was our mom and daughter bonding time, and shed just get all giddy and excited. Reporter by the time she got to high school, ashlea had lots of friends, even a boyfriend. And she was devoted to her two dads her father tommy and her stepfather, chuck, both retired police officers. Didnt she talk at one point about getting into actually your line of work . She was interested in policing. I think that she took unique interest in it. Reporter but after high school she ended up working, for a short time, at blockbuster video. And thats where she met a customer named laura love. And i walked around the store for a little bit, and just kept lookin at her, cause she was so beautiful. Reporter laura wanted to meet the girl behind the counter. They became friends. And then something more. We hung out for a few months, probably, like, eight months before it ever really got there. Reporter by that she means she and ashlea fell in love. It was a it a lot of growing up. She had to work through her feelings. Being gay isnt necessarily an easy thing. And it definitely wasnt easy 14, 15 years ago. Reporter oh, no, it wasnt. Was there a coming out period during which she sort of i believe it was 2004. She come over to the house and she goes, mama, i got somethin to tell you and chuck. I just want you to know that i was gay. And i said, well, ashlea, i already knew it. But you need to give me some space. I need some time. Reporter so monica took some time, prayed about it, came to this conclusion. I cant imagine god giving me this child and living with her and raising her that he would want me to stop loving her. Reporter wouldnt make any sense at all. Yet, for a long while, monica wasnt comfortable with ashleas new relationship, though laura said she and ashlea were good together. She was just always very giving, and very what else can i do for you to make you happy . Reporter the romance lasted more than three years. Then it was over. But they remained friends. And laura remembers how happy ashlea was when she started working at American Eagle outfitters at the hulen mall in ft. Worth. Oh, she loved it. Reporter she was an assistant manager, and good at it, said her boss chris cravey. Just her personality caring, loving, compassionate. She just loved life. Um, yeah. Reporter and she loved taking videos of her life lots of them at work. Im extremely tired and this right here is not even helping. Look at my eyes. Its horrible. She had this laugh, it was so infectious. Reporter they werent all like that, however. Employee lindsey green said another assistant manager, carter, was very different from ashlea. She taught me how to love myself to a point. Carter just taught me workrelated things. Reporter not a jokester . Right. Reporter but ashlea . Polar opposite and popular. This is what cold looks like. Im so hood. Reporter so, work was going well. Her love life not so much. And then one night, ashlea went out with friends, and april moffit was there. And i was their waitress. And she was havin a bad night and uh, try i was tryin to pull her out of her shell. She wasnt havin it. Reporter really . So i just fine. Reporter april gave up on her grumpy customer, until months later they connected on social media. They met for a dog walk ashlea brought her dog, nala, april brought cooper. And everyone clicked. What was it like when you first started going out with her . She has a magnetic, like, force to her. Like, its hard to not instantly love her. Like a girl in a country song reporter so by the summer of 2014, life was good for ashlea her social life, her job though she did hit a bump of sorts in august when someone stole 18 grand from the store safe. And it was ashlea who realized the theft had occurred and reported it to you. Correct. Reporter she even helped i. D. The suspects. With her interest in police work, ashlea thought she might have a calling here. She wanted to go on to Loss Prevention and work for our home office at American Eagle. Reporter she was 31. She had all kinds of plans. But on the morning after thanksgiving, black friday, the biggest shopping day of the year, chris craveys phone rang at home. It was our other assistant manager, saying, chris, ashleas apartments on fire and we cant get her on the phone. I threw clothes on as fast as i could get started drivin to fort worth and followed the smoke trail and the sirens. Coming up no one would have guessed where that trail would eventually lead. We were asking if we could talk to ashlea or where she was at. They just said that shes unavailable right now. When dateline continues. Since pioneering the suv in 1935, the chevy suburban has carried many things. Nothing more important than family. Introducing the most versatile and advanced chevy suburban and tahoe ever. Stand up to moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis. And take. It. On. With rinvoq. Rinvoq a oncedaily pill. Can dramatically improve symptoms. Rinvoq helps tame pain, stiffness, swelling. And for some. Rinvoq can even significantly reduce ra fatigue. Thats rinvoq relief. With ra, your overactive immune system attacks your joints. Rinvoq regulates it to help stop the attack. Rinvoq can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. Serious infections and blood clots, sometimes fatal, have occurred. As have certain cancers, including lymphoma, and tears in the stomach or intestines, and changes in lab results. 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When youre through with powering through, its time for theraflu hot liquid medicine. Powerful relief so you can restore and recover. Theraflu hot beats cold. Reporter it was the morning after thanksgiving, black friday. Laura love had only one thing on her mind. Black friday was my favorite day of the year. Im i loved to shop and save money. Reporter but lauras black friday was about to turn very dark, indeed. I got a call from a friend of ours, and she said, ashleas apartments on fire. Reporter ashleas friends arrived at her apartment parking lot to Something Like chaos. There was multiple police cars. Crime scene was there. Reporter ft. Worth detective Jerry Cedillo and his partner ernie pate sped over there, too. There was a crowd that was startin to gather. And next thing you know, we have about 40 to 50 friends and family and coworkers. And then we had residents that were just, you know, lookin from balconies, so we had quite a crowd out here. Reporter by now, firefighters had squelched the flames, and the detectives walked up the steps to ashleas door. When you went into that apartment, what was that like . It was um it was very disturbing. Reporter a womans lifeless body was lying face down on the bedroom floor. We waited until she was turned over and we got a good look at her face. And she was also identified by some of the tattoos. Reporter and then they knew. The victim had her name tatooed on her rib cage, Ashlea Harris. Outside ashleas friends were totally in the dark. We were asking, um, if we could talk to ashlea or where she was at, they just said that shes unavailable right now. Reporter ashleas boss, chris cravey had just arrived and was trying to get some answers. For a couple hours, we just assumed that she was being taken care of. Reporter and while they waited for information, investigators were realizing this was no accident. It was obvious that she had been beaten due to the amount of blood that we found. And then we observed that her arms were bound behind her back, and her ankles were also bound. Reporter it looked, said the detectives, like ashlea had been fighting back against a truly vicious attack. She had been beaten and possibly tortured. We later discovered that her neck had been slit. Reporter not only that, the fire looked suspicious, so veteran arson investigator, wallace hood, was called to the scene. I noticed that there was fire damage on the bed, and i also noticed that there was some fire damage to the victim. And i also saw what looked like a bottle of alcohol. Fire damage actually on the victim. So, like, somebody set fire to her . There was some it looked like there was some burn marks on her. What did you ultimately determine about the fire and how it got started . There were several points of origin, and thats an indicator of an intentionally set fire. Sure. So somebody took that rubbing alcohol, poured it here, poured it over there, poured it here . Yes, sir. Reporter chris cravey, standing in the crowd outside watched his worst fears roll up in front of ashleas apartment. I think it hit me like a sack a bricks once i saw them start taping it off for a crime scene. And when the coroner pulled up, my heart broke. I lost it. Reporter and then the detectives, looking very stern, came outside to ask some pointed questions. Did someone know something, see something . At that point they start the police start shuffling us into the office. And they tell us that even if we try to leave we could be arrested. I mean, that told you something very bad happened in there . Yeah. Reporter one person not in the crowd that morning was ashleas girlfriend, april moffit. About 1 00 p. M. April got a text from one of ashleas neighbors. Hey, have you checked on your girl . There was a fire in her apartment. And immediately i thought nala, ashleas dog. Reporter april assumed ashlea wasnt at home. And i was like, holy crap. Reporter and then she got a message from another friend saying simply, call me. And i called her and i said, where is ash like where is ashlea . Where is nala . And she was like, nalas fine. And i was like, well, where is ashlea, and she was like, ashleas gone. And it didnt register. Yeah. Like gone, what do you mean gone . Yeah. And then i said, well, is ashlea okay . And she said, no, april. Shes dead. And i was sitting on my bed and i i threw my phone on the ground like thats not real. Reporter when reality settled in, april and all of ashleas family and friends. Even the police had to wonder who would do such a thing to such a good, sweet, person . Ashlea harris had no enemies, did she . Was someone stalking Ashlea Harris . Coming up saw a vehicle parked there that id never seen before. But someone had seen it before. I said, i know whose car yall are asking about. When dateline continues. When dateline continues were helping change the future of Heart Failure. Understanding how to talk to your doctor about Treatment Options is key. Today, we are redefining how we do things. We find new ways of speaking, so youre never out of touch. Its seeing someones face that comforts us, no matter where. When those around us know us, they can show us just how much they care. The first steps of checking in, the smallest moments can end up being everything. Theres resources that can inform us, and that spark can make a difference. When we use it to improve things, then that change can last within us. When we understand whats possible, we wont settle for less. The best thing we can be is striving to be at our best. Managing Heart Failure starts now with understanding. Call today or go online to understandhf. Com for a free hf handbook. Reporter ashleas mother and stepfather were out of town when the news began arriving in awful, jagged bits. First they heard about the fire, and monica prayed ashlea wasnt hurt. Then ashleas father, tommy harris, called. I saw chuck gettin off the phone. And i saw him wipin his tears. And i knew that my prayer wasnt answered. Reporter chuck couldnt reach ashleas sister, so he left a message. And not two minutes later, my husband called me. And he said, where are you . I need to come to you. And i said, what is wrong with my mom . What happened to my mom . And he said, its not your mom. Its ashley. And, i mean, it just comes like a blow. Reporter back in ft. Worth, police were still rounding up people gathered outside ashleas apartment. Not among them was april. April, in fact, hadnt seen ashlea for a few days. Their romance had hit a bit of a bump. That night we we talked briefly about me coming over after i got off work. But then i went home. Reporter but someone else was there. Her name was alexis torres. Alexis torres was the last person to see ashlea alive, and was the actual last person to leave her apartment. Reporter that is certainly somebody youd wanna talk to. Obviously. Yes, sir. Reporter alexis said she and ashlea had gone to an early thanksgiving dinner with friends in ashleas complex. So you had thanksgiving dinner, and that was i think it was from 12 . Reporter sure. And then hung around for the afternoon . Yes. Reporter but ashlea had to work that night. Ashleas shift was supposed to be from 7 00 p. M. Until 3 00 a. M. And alexis agreed to come over during the time she was working to basically take care of ashleas dog. Reporter then alexis told the police and later us that she went back one more time after ashlea got home from work. How long did you stay . I stayed for an hour. Reporter that would make it 4 00 a. M. If alexis was telling the truth, the police had the beginning of a timeline. But before they could check her story or anyone elses for that matter, a neighbor gave them even more to work with. An excop named steve lee had noticed something about 6 30 that morning. So youre out here on on the deck having a cigarette. What did you see . Saw a vehicle parked there that id never seen before. Reporter what was that vehicle . It was a black, older infiniti sedan. Reporter to the observant excop that seemed worth noting. Did it stay there for a long time . It was there when i left for work at about 7 40. Reporter detectives also talked to a neighbor who lived directly below ashlea. He had heard noises, heavy breathing coming from ashleas apartment just before 8 00 a. M. A few minutes later the fire alarm started goin off. Water started comin down into his apartment. Reporter and thats when the neighbor saw a black infiniti g35 driving away. Armed with this new information, cedillo went back to alexis torres. I asked her if she knew anyone or if ashlea knew anyone that drove a infiniti g35. I never gave her a color. I simply asked her about a g35. Alexis said, no. After he was done asking the questions, i walked outside and sat down on the brick. And i believe it was chris that was there. Reporter that would be chris cravey, ashleas boss at American Eagle. Alexis told him that police were asking about an infiniti sedan. And chris made a beeline for detective cedillo. I approached him. And i said, i know whose car yall are asking about. And he says, i just wanna make you aware that i have a former employee that did drive a infiniti g35. Reporter her name, he said, was carter. Carter cervantez, that businesslike assistant manager who worked with ashlea so then i ask him, you know, what color is the g35 that she drove . And he mentions that its a black one. Reporter what was that like, to hear that . Well, it beats hearing the color red or white. Reporter and, by the way, chris told detective cedillo, carter left American Eagle because she was fired. Cedillo filed that away and sorted through the crime scene and talked to witnesses. And a day that began at 8 30 that morning didnt end until 1 00 am. Did you get any sleep . No, sir, i didnt. Reporter the story about Carter Cervantez and her black infiniti was just bugging him. Well, im thinkin about the case and im thinking, where do i go from here . Reporter might have tossed and turned all night thinking about that. But something inside him said, nope. Im not gonna be able to get any sleep. I might as well go back out there and see what i can find. Reporter wouldnt be his first wild goose chase. He had carters address. So, wee hours of saturday morning, he drove over there and what do you know . I saw a black infiniti backed in, right in front of their apartment. Reporter but he didnt knock on her door. I was going to go ahead and basically sit here and watch the vehicle to see if it moved. Reporter for more than four hours, he sat in his car, cold but patient. Then about 8 00 a. M. Saturday morning, he saw the lights of the infiniti flash as if someone was unlocking it remotely. I see the male enter the drivers seat of the vehicle. I then see a female enter the passenger side of the black infiniti. Reporter they drove off. The detective followed. And after a few minutes the infiniti pulled into, of all places, the hulen mall. There they are. Theyre going back to the place where ashlea worked, where the American Eagle was. Yes, sir. Reporter but what would they be doing there . Well, that was the that was the Million Dollar question. Coming