This is the Etsy story from hell…
An Indiana mother-daughter duo are being accused of the unthinkable — murdering their family’s patriarch. The late Marsha Allen and her daughter Ashley Jones, 30, have been in the midst of an investigation into the death of Harold “Peanut” Allen for the past few months.
Originally, police didn’t even think of the possibility of foul play when Harold passed away suddenly back in December 2022. But by the time September 2023 rolled around they’d changed their tone. An investigation was opened after Marsha’s home got burglarized months after Peanut’s death. See, one of the burglary suspects accused Ashley of orchestrating the whole thing!
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The burglar also gave up Marsha — saying she had given her husband poison! Whoa! The subsequent investigation turned up texts between the mother and daughter. Authorities found conversations that led them to believe this was a murder. Not only that, the texts were between her and her daughter! Per court documents obtained by Law&Crime:
“In Marsha’s cell phone there were many text messages, beginning in November, 2022, between Marsha and Ashley in which the two discussed poisoning Harold. Ashley was living with Marsha at 3287 N State Road 135, Freetown Indiana until some time after Harold died on December 20, 2022”
Prosecutors believe Ashley helped her mom kill her dad with poisonous plants she bought on Etsy and ethylene glycol, a compound used in antifreeze. According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by People on Tuesday, a gallon of the compound arrived at the family’s home back in December 2022. When it did, Ashley texted her mom:
“The mail is here : )”
To which momma responded with a heart emoji. Another affidavit revealed more incriminating texts from 2022, with Marsha complaining about what police believe may be their efforts to kill her husband taking so long:
“I am irritated and can’t sleep peacefully. I need this to be over … I wish it would reach its climax and be done lol.”
OMG the “lol.” On a text about murder. It’s like they’re talking about a DIY arts and crafts project.
Horrifyingly, after law enforcement questioned Harold’s wife regarding his death, she died by suicide just a day later. More text messages were eventually uncovered, which discussed the poisonous foxglove seeds — messages sent just a month before the man’s death. They mentioned buying some on Etsy, with Ashley advising her mom they’d be traceable.
Yeah, definitely some eyebrow-raising language being used there…
That same day Harold ended up going to the hospital with numbness of the face, fever, and chills — some symptoms that coincide with foxglove seed poisoning, according to the affidavit. They were poisoning him for over a month?? The legal docs also go on to accuse the mom and daughter of trying various things to kill the man but ultimately “decided to use ethylene glycol to poison and kill Harold Allen.” They put it in his root beer float, per the criminal complaint.
Later the same day they received the compound in the mail, Marsha texted her daughter:
“Hes [sic] all in for root beer floats.”
Harold passed away that day. His family called the cops, but only once he had succumbed to his symptoms, per the police.
Ashley is being accused of teaming up with her mom and using foxglove seeds, as well as water hemlock to poison her father. It wasn’t just the root beer floats. Legal docs say they attempted to kill him by adding the poisonous plants to his chili and a margarita, too. The criminal complaint says Ashley “did purchase ethylene glycol, and/or did research various poisons, and/or did advise Marsha Allen about the effects on the human body of various poisons.”
The 30-year-old reportedly admitted to buying the ethylene glycol but denied the rest, although her texts say otherwise. In fact, she was said to have bragged about being the mastermind behind the whole plot, allegedly writing:
“I planned it all. She couldn’t get into a dead man’s phone without me to get all his retirements and savings he had hidden hell she got 4500 from his PayPal…”
Wow. Chilling.
With Marsha gone, only Ashley remains to shoulder the blame anyway. The daughter’s trial is set to begin in January 2025.
[Image via Jackson County Sheriff’s Office]