NOT MUCH NEWS COVERAGE FOR JIA ASHTON.................WHY?

Angelina wrote:I was just reading this article online...sad to say I'd never even heard of the poor girl !

Man sought in woods murder probe

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Published on Saturday 2 April 2011 10:28

Detectives investigating the murder of an economics graduate who worked for chocolate-maker Thorntons in Derbyshire have released a new image of a man they are trying to trace.

Derbyshire Police said the moving animated caricature of an Evo-fit image could help people recognise the man seen in Sleetmoor Woods, near Somercotes, where Jia Ashton was found dead.

The body of the 25-year-old, who worked for Thorntons at the nearby Swanwick site in Derbyshire, was found on March 13 after an assault.

On Thursday, officers said a man dressed in a beanie hat, khaki jacket and trousers and boots was seen in the woods in the days before Mrs Ashton died on March 10. He was carrying a satchel-type bag on his shoulder.

Detective Chief Superintendent Steve Cotterill said: "As our inquiry enters its third week, we believe we are getting closer to finding the person responsible for Jia's murder.

"We now have some new images which we hope will jog people's memories and I would like to widen my appeal for information to anyone who was in the area of the woods in the days and weeks before the murder.

"We have recently learnt that 27 members of Somercotes Walking Club were in the woods during the morning of March 10 and I would like to hear from them. They may be able to help."

He also said that a team of more than 90 officers and staff had so far received 160 calls and were following up 900 separate lines of inquiry in relation to Mrs Ashton's death.

The investigating team has interviewed or spoken to more than 1,000 people and taken more than 200 statements, he added.

A force spokesman said a second man who was seen in Sleetmoor Woods around the time of Mrs Ashton's death had been traced and eliminated from the investigation. Anyone with information which could assist the inquiry is urged to contact police on 0345 123 33 33 or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Copyright (c) Press Association Ltd. 2011, All Rights Reserved.

Detectives hunting for Jia's killer release 'moving' image of new suspect
By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 12:57 AM on 1st April 2011





A new image has been released by detectives of a man they want to trace in connection with the murder of Jia Ashton, the graduate killed as she left chocolate-maker Thorntons.
Derbyshire Police said the moving animated caricature image could help people recognise the man seen in Sleetmoor Woods, near Somercotes, where Mrs Ashton was found dead.
The body of the 25-year-old, who worked for Thorntons at the nearby Swanwick site in Derbyshire, was found on March 13 after an assault on a path known as the Yellow Brick Road.



Wanted: Police have released an image of the man they want to trace in connection with the death of Jia Ashton, right
Today, officers said a man dressed in a beanie hat, khaki jacket and trousers and boots was seen in the woods in the days before Mrs Ashton died on March 10. He was carrying a satchel-type bag on his shoulder.
Detective Chief Superintendent Steve Cotterill said: 'As our inquiry enters its third week, we believe we are getting closer to finding the person responsible for Jia's murder.

More...
'It was the worst of the worst': Sian O'Callaghan's mother speaks for the first time of moment she knew her daughter had been murdered
'We now have some new images which we hope will jog people's memories and I would like to widen my appeal for information to anyone who was in the area of the woods in the days and weeks before the murder.
'We have recently learnt that 27 members of Somercotes Walking Club were in the woods during the morning of March 10 and I would like to hear from them. They may be able to help.'
He also said that a team of more than 90 officers and staff had so far received 160 calls and were following up 900 separate lines of inquiry in relation to Mrs Ashton's death.

Hunt: Investigators have interviewed or spoken to more than 1,000 people and taken more than 200 statements in the hunt for Jia's killer

Tragedy: The final journey of Jia Ashton
The investigating team has interviewed or spoken to more than 1,000 people and taken more than 200 statements, he added.
The image released is an 'Evo-fit', created by witnesses choosing whole faces to allow a composite to be 'evolved' over time, and is said to be even more accurate when animated.
A force spokesman said a second man who was seen in Sleetmoor Woods around the time of Mrs Ashton's death had been traced and eliminated from the investigation.
Anyone with information which could assist the inquiry is urged to contact police on 0345 123 33 33 or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.



Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1371962/Jia-Ashton-murder-Detectives-hunting-killer-release-moving-image-new-suspect.html#ixzz1IODK20ZF

mumbles wrote:Carmen quote: It seems to have been reported in all of the main papers - it just hasn't been picked up here??

Do you mean here as in this forum?

I did mention her here.... https://missingmadeleine.forumotion.net/t14229-appeal-for-help-to-find-missing-swindon-woman

carmen wrote:

mumbles wrote:Carmen quote: It seems to have been reported in all of the main papers - it just hasn't been picked up here??

Do you mean here as in this forum?

I did mention her here.... https://missingmadeleine.forumotion.net/t14229-appeal-for-help-to-find-missing-swindon-woman

Hi Mumbles - that link is for Sian O'Callaghan murder. This thread is about Jia Ashton

mumbles wrote:

carmen wrote:

mumbles wrote:Carmen quote: It seems to have been reported in all of the main papers - it just hasn't been picked up here??

Do you mean here as in this forum?

I did mention her here.... https://missingmadeleine.forumotion.net/t14229-appeal-for-help-to-find-missing-swindon-woman

Hi Mumbles - that link is for Sian O'Callaghan murder. This thread is about Jia Ashton

Yes I know Carmen. That's where I mentioned Jia Ashton.

In hindsight... maybe I should have also started a thread for her.

RIP Jia.

carmen wrote:

mumbles wrote:

carmen wrote:

mumbles wrote:Carmen quote: It seems to have been reported in all of the main papers - it just hasn't been picked up here??

Do you mean here as in this forum?

I did mention her here.... https://missingmadeleine.forumotion.net/t14229-appeal-for-help-to-find-missing-swindon-woman

Hi Mumbles - that link is for Sian O'Callaghan murder. This thread is about Jia Ashton

Yes I know Carmen. That's where I mentioned Jia Ashton.

In hindsight... maybe I should have also started a thread for her.

RIP Jia.

Sorry, was editing while you were replying!

carmen wrote:Possibly the thread title could be edited to include Jia Ashton's name??

Devastated: The mother who worked all day and night to give murdered Jia Ashton a better life
By SIMON PARRY
Last updated at 10:01 PM on 2nd April 2011

The murder of young bride Jia Ashton has devastated the mother who made huge sacrifices to give her a better life in Britain.
And Jia’s family in her home town of Guilin, China, are baffled by the police failure to catch the attacker who battered her to death as she walked home from work on March 10.
Jia, 25, who was just 4ft 10in, was killed on a woodland path known as the Yellow Brick Road. It is close to the Thorntons chocolate factory in Alfreton, Derbyshire, where she worked as a business analyst.



Torn apart: Jia and Matthew Ashton on their wedding day in 2006 - she was found murdered in Derbyshire last month
Her teacher husband Matthew, 26, was arrested and held for three days before being released without charge. He had booked into a nearby Travelodge hotel on the evening she died because the couple had argued.
Jia’s mother – who married Matthew’s father John after meeting him at her daughter’s wedding – flew from Britain to Guilin in undeveloped southern China last week to be comforted by her sister, who said: ‘She is utterly devastated. She raised Jia on her own and put her life savings into sending her to England to study.
‘She cannot make any sense of why this happened to her lovely, clever daughter. None of us can. She was too young to be taken from us.’

More...
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Jia’s mother was a single parent and ran a restaurant, working day and night to fund her daughter’s education. When Jia won a place at Warwick University to study economics, it was an escape from Guilin, a tourist area famous for its ‘sugar lump’ mountains.
Jia met Matthew at Warwick and they married in Guilin five years ago.



University sweethearts: Jia Ashton with husband Matthew at their 2006 wedding
Last week, an anonymous donor offered £20,000 to catch her killer. Meanwhile Derbyshire Police call Jia’s mother daily with updates on the murder hunt.
But Jia’s aunt, who asked not to be named, said: ‘There is no breakthrough and we can’t understand why.
‘After nearly a month, they are no closer to this being solved. We cannot understand how the person who did this can still be free. We desperately want an explanation of who did this to her and why, so that she can be laid to rest.’
Breaking down in tears, the aunt added: ‘Jia was only 25. She had her life ahead of her. She was happily married and she had a wonderful life in England. What we find so difficult to understand is that Jia was so tiny and she was so friendly. She would never hurt anyone. Why would anyone do such a terrible thing to her?
‘I just hope anybody in England who can solve this will do anything they can to help us.’
Last week police released a computerised picture of a man they want to question. He was seen in Sleetmoor Woods on the day Jia was killed.


After the murder of Jia Ashton (left), police issued an evofit photograph of a man they wish to trace in connection with the death
Jia’s mother’s solemn return to Guilin was in contrast to her last visit in January, when she showed off a picture of her daughter and son-in-law.
She also visited the photographic studio that took Jia and Matthew’s wedding pictures and had a portrait taken posing in traditional dress, playing a Chinese stringed instrument.
Studio assistant Si Si said: ‘She showed me a photo of herself and her husband with Jia and Matthew.
‘She told me she’d worked day and night for years at the restaurant to pay for Jia’s education and it had all worked out so well. She seemed so happy and so proud of her daughter.’
Mr Ashton’s friend Sinnan Farhan, 26, said: ‘Matthew and Jia were so much in love but, like most couples, they argued and sometimes fell out over silly things. He is in absolute pieces now.’
Matthew, who called Jia his ‘Pocket Battleship’, had been giving her driving lessons to save her walking to work.
‘Matthew was incredibly protective of Jia. She had a big personality but was tiny and his greatest fear was that something would happen to her,’ said Mr Farhan.
‘When Jia was offered a job with Thorntons, the idea of being in Derbyshire where the crime rate is lower would have appealed to him.’
The anguish of Jia’s family will be intensified on Tuesday when China marks its annual Qingming festival, when relatives visit graves and commune with the souls of loved ones.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1372742/Devastated-mother-worked-day-night-murdered-Jia-Ashton-better-life.html#ixzz1IPC0EB53

Jia Ashton's aunt tells of family's devastation
MURDERED Jia Ashton's mother used her life savings to send her to study in England, a family member has revealed.

Jia's mum has returned to the family home in Guilin, China, following the death of her daughter.

Speaking from Guilin, her sister, Jia's aunt, said the family were finding it hard to come to terms with their loss.

She said: "She [Jia's mum] is utterly devastated. She raised Jia on her own and put her life savings into sending her to England to study.


"She cannot make any sense of why this happened to her lovely, clever daughter. None of us can. She was too young to be taken from us."

Jia's mother was a single parent and ran a restaurant, working day and night to fund her daughter's education.

Jia was last seen on Thursday, March 10, just after 5pm when she left Thorntons in Somercotes, where she worked.

Her body was discovered three days later in nearby Sleetmoor Wood.

Police believe they are getting closer to finding her killer and are in daily contact with Jia's mother.

But Jia's aunt, who asked not to be named, said: "There is no breakthrough and we can't understand why.

"After nearly a month, they are no closer to this being solved. We cannot understand how the person who did this can still be free. We desperately want an explanation of who did this to her and why, so that she can be laid to rest."

The aunt added: "Jia was only 25. She had her life ahead of her. She was happily married and she had a wonderful life in England.

"What we find so difficult to understand is that Jia was so tiny and she was so friendly. She would never hurt anyone. Why would anyone do such a terrible thing to her?

"I just hope anybody in England who can solve this will do anything they can to help us."

Anyone with information should ring the investigation team on 0345 1233333 or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

I'm kept awake knowing Jia's killer is still out there

Matthew and Jia Ashton in happier times. The couple wed in her native China in 2006.
By Exclusive Ed Hill Ehill@Derbytelegraph.Co.Uk

THE husband of murdered Jia Ashton has told for the first time of his torment at her death.

Matthew Ashton, speaking to the Derby Telegraph last night on the doorstep of their Somercotes home, said he hoped a £20,000 reward would help catch his wife's killer.

The cash has been donated anonymously by someone moved by the murder of Thorntons worker Jia, 25.

She was found battered to death in Sleetmoor Woods after leaving the firm's factory, a few hundred yards from her house.


Mr Ashton, who was initially arrested and later ruled out as a suspect by police, said he had struggled to come to terms with her killing three weeks ago.

He said: "I had trouble sleeping last night – it's the thought that there is still someone out there who has done this.

"I am just hoping the reward has the desired effect."

Since her death, Mr Ashton said he had been to Sleetmoor Woods with family and police officers in the hope of unearthing clues as to what had happened.

But he said he was "horrified" that children were out in the woodland on their own, despite the fact that Jia's killer has not yet been caught.

The 26-year-old primary school teacher, of Springfield Crescent, said: "I couldn't believe there were people still letting their children out alone. Then again, if I'm struggling to come to terms with it, the rest of the community must be too."

Mountain rescue volunteers found the body of business analyst Jia on March 13, three days after she disappeared.

It was close to a path she regularly used to walk home along, known locally as the Yellow Brick Road.

A post-mortem examination revealed that the Warwick University graduate died as a result of an assault. There was no evidence of a sex attack or that a weapon was used.

Mr Ashton met Jia at university and the couple wed in her native China in 2006.

He has been staying with family since her death but said he returned to their home for "a couple of nights''.

He said he had painted the front door to try to take his mind off the tragedy.

Holding the couple's dog in his arms, Mr Ashton, who, in a statement released earlier through police, had described his wife as a "pocket princess", said: "Jia never liked the blue door anyway.

"It's one of the things I'm trying to do to keep my mind occupied."

Meanwhile, Jia's Chinese mother – who made huge sacrifices for her daughter to have a better life in Britain – is said to be devastated.

She raised Jia alone, working day and night in a restaurant, and put her life savings towards flying her daughter to England to study, according to a report in a national newspaper.

It quoted Jia's aunt, who said the family could not understand why police had failed to find the killer.

She told the Mail on Sunday: "There is no breakthrough and we can't understand why. After nearly a month, they are no closer to this being solved. We cannot understand how the person who did this can be free."

Police have taken out adverts on the social networking website Facebook, targeted specifically at users in Somercotes. And they are still hunting a man seen in Sleetmoor Woods on the day of the killing.

The inquiry is focusing on the man, who is thought to live locally.

He is 5ft 8in to 6ft, of athletic build, between 45 and 55, with blonde or mousey stubble on his chin.

Officers said he was dressed entirely in green, with a dark green beanie hat, a thigh-length green waterproof walking jacket – which was done up to the neck – and dark green or brown cargo or combat trousers.

He carried a distinctive beige bag over his shoulder, about 18 inches square, similar to a satchel but made of a cord-type material.

Anyone with information should call Derbyshire police on 0345 123 33 33 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

Police thank the public for their continued support in the Jia Ashton murder inquiry
Posted on 4th April 2011

Officers investigating the murder of Jia Ashton in Somercotes on March 10 are pleased with the ongoing response to their appeals for information.
Last Friday a reward of up to £20,000 was offered for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of the murderer and an advert was placed on Facebook.
Detective Chief Superintendent Steve Cotterill said: “Throughout this investigation I have been delighted by the amount of calls we have received from the community in and around Somercotes.
“During the weekend we have continued to take calls from people who believe they have seen or know the man we are looking for. All the information is being assessed and acted upon where possible.
“Amazingly 240,000 Facebook users have seen the advert since it went online on Thursday and 240 people have clicked through to our website for more information.
“The inquiry team is working tirelessly to track down this killer and more officers will be draughted in during the next few days to carry out further enquiries.
Anyone who has any information about the inquiry should contact the police on 0345 123 33 33 or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

wjk wrote:Lets hope they find the person responsible soon
I really feel for her poor mum back in China.

mara thon wrote:Thanks everyone for the information. I have put this poor girl's name in the title now. The reason I used that title was because in recent times other such cases have quite literally been "in your face", so to speak but I don't think this one has, in fact as far as I am aware it only appeared on my yahoo home page today and I certainly haven't seen it on TV news, although it is quite possible that I missed it if it had been. I just wondered why this case wasn't getting the same media attention that others have had.

6 April 2011 Last updated at 11:35 GMT Share this pageEmailPrint
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Evidence found in Jia Ashton murder inquiry

Jia Ashton was last seen leaving work at Thornton's
Officers investigating the murder of Derbyshire economics graduate Jia Ashton say they have forensic evidence to link the killer to the murder scene.

The body of the 25-year-old woman was found on 13 March in Sleetmoor Woods near Somercotes. She had suffered head injuries.

Det Ch Supt Steve Cotterill said they had not yet linked the evidence to anyone on the police database.

He said the suspect "has not been part of the police inquiry so far".

Beanie hat
Police are concentrating their investigation on a man seen in the woods who they have not yet traced.


Police are still looking for the man depicted in the artist's impression
He is described as dressed entirely in green with a dark green beanie hat, a thigh-length green waterproof walking jacket and dark green or brown combat trousers.

He was about 6ft tall, of athletic build, between 45 and 55 years old and with blond or mousey stubble on his chin.

The man was seen acting suspiciously in the woods and jumped into the undergrowth when seen by others, police said.

A Facebook page on the murder investigation has been seen by more than 400,000 people.

A reward of up to £20,000 has been offered to help find her killer.

There was no evidence a weapon had been used in the attack and there was no apparent sexual assault, police said.