A Michigan mother tried to fight back her tears as she confronted the man accused of murdering and dismembering her daughter in 2018 during the first day of his trial.
Kristine Young, the mother of Ashley Young, 31, whose torso was found in December 2018 in the basement of a Grand Rapids home that had been rented by Jared Chance, was the first to testify in his trial on Tuesday.
Young recalled through tears how she was supposed to meet her daughter in Kalamazoo on Thursday, November 29, 2018, to co-sign on Ashley’s new apartment, according to WZZM.
She said she became worried when she didn’t hear from her daughter by Thursday, November 29.
The following day, November 30, Young told jurors that she called Chance and left him a message.
Kristine Young (pictured), the mother of Ashley Young, 31, who was allegedly killed and dismembered by Jared Chance, 30, in November 2018, was the first to testify in his trial on Tuesday in Michigan
Young recalled through tears how she contacted Jared Chance (left) on November 30 after not hearing from her daughter, Ashley Young (right)
Prosecutors played the message in court: ‘Hello, Jared. My name is Kristine Young. I am looking for my daughter. She was last with you. Is she with you? She needs to contact me. Tell her I am going to contact the police department to do a missing person.’
Chance reportedly text Young and told her that Ashley left her phone at the lounge in Grand Rapids and had gone to pick it up before heading back to Kalamazoo.
A text message exchange between Chance and Young was displayed in the courtroom.
In multiple texts, Chance claimed that he had just spoken to Ashley. He also gave the worried mother fake phone numbers to call.
Young tried to file a missing persons report on December 1 but she was turned away, according to WZZM.
Six days later, she learned that a torso that was found in Chance’s rental home in the 900 block of Franklin Street SE belonged to her daughter.
During a jailhouse interview in mid-December, before he was charged with murder, Chance apologized to Ashley’s mother, but said: ‘I don’t know what to say or do.’
On Monday, Chance rejected a plea deal that offered an opportunity for parole after 31 years in prison.
Chance reportedly text Young and told her that Ashley (left) left her phone at a lounge in Grand Rapids and went to pick it up. In multiple texts, Chance (right) claimed that he had just spoken to Ashley and gave her worried mom fake phone numbers to call
Chance’s neighbor led by a ‘strange smell’ found blood and a woman’s torso in their shared basement in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on December 2
He told a judge Monday that he wants to go to trial in the death of Ashley. If convicted of first-degree murder, the 30-year-old will go to prison for life.
Ashley’s torso was the only remain found during an investigation. Other remains haven’t been found.
Police have quoted Chance as telling a neighbor that he knew how to commit murder and ‘get away with it’.
Separately, Chance’s parents are charged with perjury and accessories after the fact.
Ashley, from Oshtemo Township, had traveled to Grand Rapids and was last seen alive on November 29 at Mulligan’s Pub, allegedly in Chance’s company.
Investigators have not released Young’s cause and manner of death, and they have not commented on a possible motive behind the killing.
The exact nature of the relationship between Young and Chance is unclear, but the two were friends on Facebook.
Chance (pictured in court in early December) rejected a plea deal that offered an opportunity for parole after 31 years in prison on Monday
Chance’s father, retired Illinois police sergeant James Chance (left), and his mother, Barbara Chance (right), were both charged last month with accessory after the fact to the mutilation charge and lying to police
James, 76, and his 63-year-old wife are currently out on bond. They have both denied any wrongdoing
Chance’s father, retired Illinois police sergeant James Chance, and his mother, Barbara Chance, were both charged last month with accessory after the fact to the mutilation charge and lying to police. They have denied any wrongdoing.
James, 76, and his 63-year-old wife are currently out on bond.
According to an affidavit cited by mlive.com, on December 1, Jared Chance’s parents learned that their son had ‘cut Ashley Young’s body into multiple pieces and hid some of these pieces,’ but they failed to report the woman’s death and mutilation.
Jared was arrested the next day, after a ‘strange smell’ led his downstairs neighbor to their shared basement, where he discovered blood leaking from a tarp.
The elder Chance’s attorney claimed that his client took his son to the Grand Rapids Police Department on December 1, but the cops turned them away and told them to contact police in Kalamazoo County.
Court documents allege that the parents dropped their son off at his home and made no further attempt to contact the authorities about Young’s death.
Jared Chance has a prior criminal record, which includes convictions for resisting and obstructing police in 2011, and possession of methadone and Oxycodone in 2016.
A longtime family friend described Young to Fox 17 as being violent and angry in his teenage years, when he was known to bully and pick on other kids.