Where's Ashley (Jones) Linden??
Here's a bit of the backstory...
About six months prior to Ashley going missing in September 2022 (yes, the official missing date is May 25, 2023, but stick with me here), she and her husband (married in 2017) were living in a mobile home park in Plant City, Florida. Also living in that same mobile home park were her mother and older brother, both in their respective trailers. Due to the landlord suddenly passing away, the mobile home park was sold, and everyone was given 30 days to move out.
Ashley's younger brother offered for her and her husband to move in with him, but they declined his offer. Instead, Ashley and her husband stayed in various motels around Tampa. Ashley was working at Taco Bus in Plant City before having to move, but was then forced to quit.
On September 9, 2022, at 5:30 a.m., Ashley's mother, Teresa, received a phone call from her son-in-law. Ashley was missing.
At this time, Ashley and her husband had been staying at the Red Roof Inn on U.S. Route 301 in Tampa, Florida. When Ashley's husband called Teresa, he told her that he and Ashley had a dispute, and he told her to stay outside. According to his recollection, Ashley ran out of the room, leaving everything behind except the clothes on her back. She didn't have her phone, and he wasn't even sure if she had shoes on her feet.
Walking away and not being in contact with anyone is completely out of character for Ashley. Since a child, Ashley has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, PTSD, depression, and anxiety, for which she takes daily medication. All of these were left behind as well.
While on this phone call with Teresa, Ashley's husband was on his way to work in Plant City. He continued to say that Ashley is going to be locked out and won't be able to get back into their room because he didn't register her as a guest. Instead, he only listed him and his dog as being in the room. And since she didn't have her phone, there was no way of contacting her.
As soon as her husband ended his workday, Teresa called to ask him if Ashley was at the motel. She was not there, and he couldn't find her. After taking a shower, Ashley's husband drove around the area looking for her, but to no avail.
The next morning (September 10, 2022), her husband filed a missing persons report. Teresa advised her other children and family members that Ashley was missing, so they planned to go to Tampa the next day to begin searching.
On September 12, 2022, Ashley's husband received a call from law enforcement stating an officer had made contact with Ashley at a 7-Eleven store in the Ybor City neighborhood of Tampa. Ashley's husband called Teresa to tell her the wonderful news. He said he was on his way to Ybor City, which was about 30 to 45 minutes away from where he was.
When he arrived, Ashley was nowhere to be found. While on the phone with Teresa, he went into the 7-Eleven, showed the store clerk a photo of Ashley, and asked if they recognized her. Teresa heard the store clerk say they didn't recognize Ashley from the photos.
The next day, Ashley's younger sister looked up her missing persons report and realized a lot of the information was incorrect, along with an unflattering photo. Ashley's eyes are blue and her hair is blonde. The initial report stated she has brown hair and brown eyes. Teresa called the police department to confirm they actually found Ashley. She wanted to know how they confirmed it was her since she didn't have an ID and the information they had provided by the missing persons report for her was incorrect. The officer reassured Teresa it was Ashley, stating they have their procedures, and if for some reason Ashley was incapable of talking or providing personal information only she would know, they have a device that can run her fingerprints.
So at this point, Ashley's missing persons case was closed.
Teresa and her family continued their search for Ashley. They were searching in Tampa, Plant City, and the Lakeland area, where she grew up. A couple of homeless people said they thought they recognized Ashley, but these sightings were not confirmed.
In October, Ashley didn't contact her son or younger brother for their birthdays, which was completely uncharacteristic for her. During this time, Teresa tried to file another missing persons report, but was denied every time.
On November 17, 2022, Teresa received a photo from her daughter-in-law's brother of Ashley standing on a sidewalk in Tampa. He was on his way to work at the time, saw her standing on the sidewalk, and took a picture as he drove by. He was in a company van at the time, so they were unable to stop. Once he made it back to his job site, he took a break, got into his vehicle, and drove around the area where he spotted Ashley, but couldn't find her.
Teresa attempted to file another missing persons report in February, but law enforcement refused to take it. This is when Teresa learned the sighting of Ashley in November was from when she was a passenger in a vehicle that had been pulled over by the police.
In February 2023, the non-profit organization, We Are The Essentials (WATE), stepped in to help with the investigation. They also searched the area where Ashley was seen in November, but came up empty-handed. On May 25, 2023, Nico from WATE arranged an interview between Teresa and Channel 8 News in the parking lot of the Plant City Police Department. This is when law enforcement allowed Teresa to file another missing persons report for Ashley. This is why her missing date, according to officials, is May 25, 2023.
When Teresa filed the police report in May, law enforcement confirmed they made contact with Ashley on November 17, 2022, and explained the circumstances of the incident. A man was pulled over near the intersection of East Yukon Street and North Nebraska Avenue in Tampa, and Ashley was found sleeping in the backseat. The man was arrested for having a bottle of pills that was not prescribed for him. When Ashley exited the vehicle, her speech was slurred, but she was not detained because she didn't have any arrest warrants and wasn't listed as missing person at that time.
It's important to note that when the photo of Ashley was taken on November 17, 2022, she had quite a few belongings with her - a purse, suitcase, and other items. However, she went missing with absolutely nothing. Teresa did not recognize any of the items Ashley had with her. So, where these items came from is a mystery. This was the last known sighting of Ashley.
If you have ANY information regarding Ashley, please contact:
Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office
(813) 247-8200
Agency Case Number: 23-544915
