Woman Slain, Friend Found Dead

A 21-year-old Ventura woman was shot to death Thursday afternoon by her boyfriend, who later overdosed on heroin and was found dead by friends early Friday, authorities said.

Ashlyn MacDonald’s death marks the first homicide of the year in Ventura County. By the same date last year, the county had logged five killings, according to the Ventura County medical examiner’s office.

“This is just tragic, because she had just turned 21, just returned home from being up north and was really working hard at reestablishing herself,” said Bob Myrtle, MacDonald’s stepfather.

MacDonald had returned to Ventura early Thursday morning after spending time in the town of Etna in Siskiyou County near the Oregon border, Myrtle said. Thursday afternoon, after resting at her mother and stepfather’s Ventura condo, MacDonald went to visit Abraham William Foss, 24, at his father’s apartment on Del Norte Drive in Ventura.

Foss, MacDonald’s boyfriend of several months, had telephoned and asked her to come over, Myrtle said. Authorities believe that MacDonald and Foss probably argued after she had arrived and Foss used a rifle to shoot MacDonald multiple times in the head.

Foss left the rifle at the apartment and fled in MacDonald’s car, authorities said. About 4:15 p.m. Thursday, Foss’ father, Danny Foss, 46, returned home to find MacDonald’s body in his bathroom.

Officers immediately began searching for the younger Foss, a prison parolee with a history of drug use, said Ventura Police Sgt. Sean Conroy. From interviews with his acquaintances, police learned that Foss drove Thursday night to the apartment of some friends on Porter Lane and told them he had just broken up with his girlfriend, Conroy said.

About 7 a.m. Friday, his friends found Foss dead on their couch, with blood coming from his mouth. Officers found fresh injection marks on his arm as well as drug paraphernalia. Lab tests will be done to confirm the cause of death, but Conroy said Foss was a known heroin user with several convictions for use and possession.

It was unclear if Foss, who worked on and off as a carpenter, intended to overdose.

“There were no signs of a note, so it will be difficult to determine if this was an intentional act or accidental,” Conroy said.

The motive for the attack may also remain a mystery, but MacDonald’s family said Foss’ increasing drug use had made him more possessive toward MacDonald.

MacDonald, a Ventura County native, attended Ventura High School but dropped out in the 11th grade. Described by her family as outgoing and friendly, she often worked in clerical positions, including at Office Depot. “She was a hard worker,” Myrtle said. “She’s basically been working since she was about 12 years old.”

The family asked that donations for MacDonald’s funeral be mailed to Citibank at 472 S. Mills Road, Ventura, CA 93003, to the attention of Maria Pelaya.