Federal authorities are hunting for a Hagerstown mother who slipped out of sight just as the justice system caught up with her in the starvation death of her infant daughter.
Investigators say 39-year-old Ashley Nicole Franklin was allowed to walk free on a $5,000 bond after a jury convicted her in the death of her 10-month-old daughter, Bella. When it came time for sentencing, Franklin never showed. The court went ahead without her, and the case has now escalated into a federal manhunt that includes the U.S. Marshals Service and has rattled local lawmakers.
According to Fox Baltimore, a Washington County Circuit Court jury found Franklin guilty in August 2025 of first-degree child abuse resulting in death, first-degree child abuse resulting in serious bodily injury, involuntary manslaughter, and neglect of a minor. Bella had been rushed to a hospital in April 2021 after medics responded to a home on South Mulberry Street. An autopsy by the Maryland Office of the Chief Medical Examiner concluded the child suffered from malnutrition and neglect and ruled the death a homicide.
Fox Baltimore reports that Franklin was arrested in South Fulton, Georgia, in August 2024 and extradited to Maryland to stand trial. After the guilty verdicts, she was permitted to post a $5,000 bond while awaiting sentencing. When she failed to appear in court on August 13, 2025, the judge proceeded without her and imposed a combined 100-year sentence.
The decision to let Franklin remain free before sentencing, followed by her disappearance, has fueled fresh calls in Annapolis to tighten pre-sentencing release rules in violent and child-neglect cases. Maryland State Sen. Paul Corderman told the station, "When Bella was born she weighed 8.2. 10 months later when Bella died she weighed 9 pound."
Authorities say Franklin’s co-defendant, William Conyers, was apprehended in 2022 and that public tips remain crucial. Anyone with information on Franklin’s whereabouts is urged to call the U.S. Marshals at 202-819-5058, according to reporting.
Legal Next Steps
The Washington County Circuit Court presided over Franklin’s trial, and court records and reporting indicate jurors returned guilty verdicts in August 2025. The judge then imposed the sentence despite Franklin’s absence. The circuit court is based in Hagerstown and handles felony trials for the county, according to the official Maryland Courts site.
What To Watch
For now, the search for Franklin is active, with the U.S. Marshals and Washington County investigators asking anyone with leads to come forward. Authorities say that once Franklin is found, she will be arrested and brought back to begin serving her sentence. Local residents and lawmakers alike are watching closely, arguing that Bella’s case has become a stark example in the debate over how Maryland handles pre-sentencing release in serious child abuse and neglect cases.
