Friend of slain ex-Mississippi rep shares fear she was killed for probing ...

Friend of slain ex-Mississippi rep shares fear she was killed for probing ...
Friend of slain ex-Mississippi rep shares fear she was killed for probing ...

A friend of the former Mississippi lawmaker who was shot fatally shot on the same property where her sister-in-law's body was found six months earlier has shared fears that she may have been killed because she was close to finding the truth about what happened to her relative.  

Ashley Henley was found murdered by a gunshot to the back of the head on June 13 near the burnt out trailer in Water Valley where her sister-in-law Kristina Jones' body had been discovered in a burnt out trailer on December 26.  

For months Ashley battled to prove that Jones had been murdered and accused police of botching the investigation - before the mystery took an insidious turn when she was killed while tending to the lawn at the property.  

Several of Ashley's loved ones have come forward to share their suspicions that her death was linked to her public campaign to figure out the truth about what happened to Jones. 

Among them is Mississippi Rep Dana Criswell, a friend and former colleague of Ashley's, who said she was ‘on the verge of uncovering something very bad’ about Jones' death before she was murdered. 

'Her words to me was, "They may kill me, but I’m not giving up. I’m going to find the truth,"' Criswell told the Daily Beast

His account came as police arrested a suspect - 43-year-old Billy Brooks - and charged him with arson for allegedly starting the fire that burned down the trailer in which Jones's body was found. 

However, Brooks, 42, is not being charged in Jones's death – which has not been declared a homicide. 

Jones's autopsy report described her body as 'charred,' but with no sign of suffocation from smoke, meaning that she may have already been dead when the fire started. 

Ashley Henley (pictured) was found shot dead around 10pm on June 13 in rural Yalobusha County, Mississippi

Ashley had been trying to prove that her sister-in-law Kristina Jones (pictured) had been murdered in December

Ashley Henley (left) was found shot dead around 10pm on June 13 in rural Yalobusha County, Mississippi.  She had been trying to prove that Kristina Jones (right) had been murdered

Jones' body was found inside this burnt out trailer on December 26, 2020. Ashley was found shot dead on the same property six months later

Jones' body was found inside this burnt out trailer on December 26, 2020. Ashley was found shot dead on the same property six months later 

Rep Dana Criswell (pictured), a friend and former colleague of Ashley's, said that she told him that she discovered information about Jones' death that could get her killed

Rep Dana Criswell (pictured), a friend and former colleague of Ashley's, said that she told him that she discovered information about Jones' death that could get her killed 

Brandon Henley, Jones's brother and Ashley's husband, told the Daily Beast that Brooks was Jones' ex-boyfriend and lived across the street from her. 

'My sister was a great person,' Brandon said. 'She had a great heart. She just couldn't get her priorities straight.' 

Brandon Henley, Ashley's wife and Kristina Jones' sister, said he believes they were killed by the same person

Brandon Henley, Ashley's wife and Kristina Jones' sister, said he believes they were killed by the same person

'She liked to have fun, she liked to party. She played the game, you know what I'm saying? She had men taking care of her, she was dating multiple men. My sister was not doing things she was supposed to be doing.' 

DailyMail.com reached out to the Yolabusha County Sheriff's Office and a representative said that they would be holding a press conference with more information on Monday afternoon, but decline to comment further.

Brooks is being held at the Yalobusha County Detention Center and could not be reached for comment.   

Ashley and Brandon Henley created a memorial at the site of the burned

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