Add The New York Post on Google A missing PR exec‘s former partner has been arrested for leaving Washington, DC with their son, in violation of his parole tied to a conviction for beating his ex unconscious in a fight over the boy.
Antoinette Forbes’ ex Russell Ashford, a 65-year-old retired member of the CIA, was busted in a traffic stop in Pennsylvania — after license-plate readers were used to track him driving from Washington, DC, where Forbes lived with their son, officials told WPXI.
“Ultimately, a parole violation was lodged on him for leaving the state,” Beaver County District Attorney Nate Bible told the outlet.
Forbes, a successful public relations executive and mother to a 10-year-old son, vanished last week. Aileen Forbes Forbes’ son was found with his dad, in violation of his custody agreement with the mom, who vanished from her DC home without her purse, keys, car or dog on Sept. 4.
The boy “is safe, and he is unharmed,” Bible said.
Ashford has not been named a suspect in the disappearance of Forbes, the 52-year-old vice president and head of public affairs at pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly.
He was convicted in 2021 for assaulting Forbes in their home in Chevy Chase, Maryland, having told responding cops “he had just beat up his ex,” according to WTOP.
Forbes had been found in and out of consciousness with fractures to her face and hands and a concussion. She told cops she was attacked in a fight over their son’s schooling, the records show.
Ashford was initially sentenced to 15 years in prison. But he only served nine months behind bars before a judge tossed the guilty verdict this summer and placed him on probation awaiting a new judgment, according to the reports, which did not elaborate on the basis for the decision.
His probation prohibited him from having contact with Forbes or their son. As well as having the boy with him in his car when he was stopped in Pennsylvania, Ashford allegedly tried to pick up their son from a summer camp last month, NBC Washington said.
Forbes was last seen at her home on Sept. 4, and last spoke with family members on Sept. 5. FOX 5 DC Forbes’ sudden disappearance has left her loved ones fearing the worst because the successful professional had shown no signs of trouble before her disappearance — and would never abandon her loved ones, they said.
“Antoinette is a 100% solid, reliable, intelligent, competent woman who is a devoted mother. She would never leave her son,” Forbes’ older sister, Aileen Forbes, told CNN on Thursday. “She wouldn’t leave her dog. She wouldn’t leave her sister who needs her.”
The missing mom’s home is also being treated as an active crime scene, according to Aileen — who said it’s impossible not to worry her sister may be dead.
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The DC Metropolitan Police Department could offer no fresh updates Tuesday morning.
“We understand the sense of urgency surrounding this case, but at this present time, we do not have any new details to release,” a spokesperson told The Post.
“This investigation remains a priority for our department, as all missing person cases are. This case remains an active and ongoing investigation with the Metropolitan Police Department. We will share additional information as it becomes available to us.”
Forbes is the vice President and head of public affairs at Eli Lilly, an American multinational pharmaceutical company, according to her LinkedIn profile.
The company is supporting police efforts to find her, a spokesperson said.
