Victim In Santa Rosa Attempted Kidnapping Dies: Police

SONOMA COUNTY, CA — A woman who was assaulted in May in an alleged attempted murder and kidnapping in Santa Rosa has died from the severe injuries she suffered, Santa Rosa police said Friday. According to police, the victim, identified as 45-year-old Stephenie Janelle Ashton, had been in critical condition since the May 7 incident, receiving constant medical treatment at local hospitals and long-term care facilities.

On Thursday, Sept. 14, Ashton passed away, police said.

The Sonoma County Coroner’s Office conducted an autopsy of her body Friday; pending a complete autopsy report, it is believed Ashton died from complications related to the blunt force trauma she suffered on the night of this assault, police said.

The suspect in the incident, 55-year-old Robert Holladay, was arrested May 7 on suspicion of attempted murder and kidnapping and remains in custody at a Sonoma County jail. Detectives are working with the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office to amend the criminal charges against him, police said.

Jail records showed Saturday that Holladay is being held on $1 million bail and is due in court Wednesday morning.

Holladay and Ashton were transients and were living out of separate vehicles near each other prior to the attack, according to police.

At 8:50 p.m. Sunday, May 7, Santa Rosa police responded to the area of Montgomery Drive and 2nd Street regarding a report that a man was assaulting a woman, striking her repeatedly with an unknown object. The reporting party told police the attacker had dragged the victim, who appeared to be unconscious, into a vehicle and fled.

The witness provided a description of the vehicle, and officers stopped one matching its description as the driver headed east on 4th Street near Farmers Lane.

Police say the suspect, later identified as Holladay, got out of the car and told officers he was alone. But upon further inspection, police saw a woman on the floorboad of the back seat area of the vehicle who was unconscious and suffering from severe injuries.

Holladay was taken into custody and Ashton was rushed to a hospital.

Investigators located a weapon capable of inflicting blunt force trauma inside of the vehicle next to where the driver had been seated, police said. The alleged weapon has not been described by Santa Rosa police.

At the time of the incident, police did not immediately know the extent of the two transients' relationship nor a possible motive in the attack.

Anyone with information regarding this case was encouraged to call Detective Vauhn Andrews at 707- 543-3590.

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