Ashley Schaeffer, a 35-year-old woman from Diboll, Texas, was found dead in her home in the early morning hours of July 24, 2022. Investigators determined she had been shot multiple times while asleep in her bed; her 10-month-old child was reportedly in the bed with her at the time, and two other young children in the home were unharmed.

The Angelina County Sheriff’s Office, Texas Rangers and Department of Public Safety investigated. Suspicion focused on Ashley’s estranged husband, 38-year-old Victor Keith Lee. Detectives reported gunpowder residue on Lee’s hands and said his accounts of the night did not line up. Lee, his mother Deidra Marie Lee, his cousin Breana Lee Green, and another man, Wade Finley, were arrested on murder charges.

Deidra, 55, and Green, 30, later pleaded guilty and were sentenced to 28 and 20 years respectively; both agreed to testify against co-defendants. Wade Finley was offered a plea in exchange for testimony. Victor Lee pleaded guilty to murder; during the punishment phase jurors heard that prosecutors said seven bullets struck Ashley’s head, and family members testified. The jury returned a life sentence and a $10,000 fine and the case was closed in February 2024.

Did anyone in Diboll have information about Ashley’s movements or anyone arriving at her home on the night of July 23–24, 2022?