Weeks before Washington, D.C., mother Antoinette Forbes disappeared without explanation, she stood before a Maryland judge and described something she had struggled to admit: she was afraid of her former partner.

Forbes, 53, had survived a violent 2021 assault involving Russell Ashford, the father of her 10-year-old son. At a July 9 court hearing, she opposed Ashford’s effort to obtain relief from the conviction stemming from that attack and spoke about the fear his physical presence still created for her.

Roughly two months later, Forbes vanished.

She was last seen in Northwest Washington on Sept. 4. Her family last spoke with her by FaceTime the following morning, Sept. 5, during what relatives described as an entirely normal conversation.

Then communication stopped.

When friends went to check on her, they discovered a scene her family says made a voluntary disappearance difficult to understand: Forbes’ wallet, keys and two phones were inside the house. Her dog was still there. Her vehicle remained parked outside, and the front door was reportedly unlocked.

More than two weeks later, Forbes remains missing.

Forbes Described Fear in Her Own Words

Court records provide disturbing background to the relationship between Forbes and Ashford.

Prosecutors said that during a 2021 confrontation in Maryland, Ashford threw Forbes against a staircase after she attempted to call police and took her phone away.

He then allegedly forced her onto the kitchen floor and repeatedly struck her in the face and head.

According to prosecutors, Ashford slammed Forbes’ head against the floor at least a dozen times before she lost consciousness. A neighbor told investigators Forbes appeared motionless while the assault continued.

The injuries were severe.

Forbes suffered significant facial trauma and lasting damage to her hand. Other accounts of her testimony indicate she was left with permanent effects involving her eye and required screws in her jaw.

During the later court proceeding, Forbes described herself as a strong person but acknowledged that Ashford’s size and physical presence could leave her intimidated and frightened.

Her comments have taken on new significance since her disappearance.

Ashford Had Been Convicted in the Assault Case

Ashford was convicted in connection with the attack.

Prosecutors sought a four-year prison sentence. A judge instead imposed a 15-year sentence but suspended nearly all of it, requiring Ashford to serve nine months followed by five years of supervised probation.

Then came the July 9 reconsideration hearing.

Court records show Judge David Lees granted Ashford probation before judgment, a decision prosecutors said effectively removed the conviction from his record.

Montgomery County prosecutors strongly opposed the change.

Forbes also appeared at the hearing and opposed Ashford’s request.

The hearing occurred less than two months before she disappeared.

Importantly, Ashford has not been charged with causing Forbes’ disappearance, and authorities have not publicly identified him as a suspect.

Search for Forbes Became More Urgent

Forbes’ family says nothing about her disappearance resembles her normal behavior.

She had a career, close relationships and, above all, a young son she was deeply devoted to.

Friends have repeatedly said they cannot imagine her voluntarily leaving him behind.

Her personal belongings have only deepened that concern.

She did not appear to take the items most people would normally need if they intended to leave home for any meaningful period of time.

Her phones were there.

Her wallet was there.

Her keys were there.

Her car remained outside.

Even her dog had been left behind.

D.C. police subsequently classified the case as a critically missing-person investigation and continued appealing for information from anyone who might have seen Forbes or noticed suspicious activity around the time she vanished.

Her Son Was Found With Ashford in Pennsylvania

As investigators searched for Forbes, they were also trying to locate her 10-year-old son and Ashford.

That search ultimately led authorities to Pennsylvania.

Police stopped Ashford in Brighton Township on Sept. 12 and found the child with him inside a vehicle.

The boy was safe and unharmed and was later returned to family members.

License-plate reader information helped authorities reconstruct Ashford’s movements between Pennsylvania and the Washington area.

Officials said his travel created a probation issue because he was not supposed to leave Pennsylvania under the conditions governing him at the time.

He was taken into custody on a probation violation.

Authorities again stressed that the arrest was not a charge related to Forbes’ disappearance.

New Gun Charges Complicated His Return to Maryland

Ashford’s legal situation became more complicated several days later.

He had been preparing for an extradition hearing connected to the probation matter when Pennsylvania State Police filed seven new charges accusing him of illegally possessing firearms.

Those charges delayed the extradition process.

Authorities said the earlier assault conviction was relevant because it prohibited him from possessing firearms.

Ashford remains in custody in Pennsylvania.

Officials expect him eventually to be returned to Maryland in connection with the probation case, although his new Pennsylvania charges must also move through the court system.

None of those charges allege involvement in Forbes’ disappearance.

Family Receives Custody of Forbes’ Son

With Forbes still missing and Ashford in custody, another urgent question involved the couple’s son.

A court hearing was held over his custody, and members of Forbes’ family were awarded custody of the 10-year-old.

The decision ensured that the boy could remain with relatives while investigators continue searching for his mother.

For the family, the child’s safe return brought some relief.

But it did nothing to answer the larger question.

Where is Antoinette?

Investigators Have Not Named a Suspect

Despite public speculation surrounding Forbes’ history with Ashford, investigators have been careful about what they have said.

Ashford has not been accused of making Forbes disappear.

No one else has been publicly named as a suspect either.

Authorities have also not publicly disclosed evidence showing what happened inside Forbes’ home after her final known communications.

That leaves a significant gap in the timeline.

Police know when she was last seen.

Her family knows when they last spoke with her.

Friends know what they found inside her house.

But publicly, there is still no clear explanation of how Forbes left the area — or whether she left willingly at all.

Two Weeks Without Answers

Saturday marked approximately two weeks since Forbes last communicated with her family.

Her relatives continue to urge the public to keep her name and image circulating.

They describe the morning of Sept. 5 as completely normal, with nothing in Forbes’ behavior suggesting she intended to disappear.

That ordinary final conversation has become one of the most painful details of the case.

There was no goodbye.

No warning.

No message explaining where she was going.

Instead, there was silence — followed by the discovery of nearly everything she would ordinarily carry still sitting inside her home.

The investigation is continuing across multiple jurisdictions as authorities review Forbes’ disappearance, Ashford’s movements and any evidence that might help reconstruct the days surrounding Sept. 4.

For her family, however, the central request remains simple.

They want Antoinette Forbes home.

And until investigators determine what happened after that final normal conversation, one of the most troubling details remains the warning she gave in court only weeks earlier: despite considering herself strong, there were moments when she was genuinely afraid of her former partner.