In November of 2010, Jennifer Martinson logged onto an online dating site and met a man named Thomas Ayers

In November of 2010, Jennifer Martinson logged onto an online dating site and met a man named Thomas Ayers.  He was living in Bottineau, North Dakota - a rural town near the Canadian border, surrounded by vast stretches of forest and farmland. 


Thomas seemed stable. He worked in the booming oil industry, and unlike the violent men of Jennifer’s past, he came with the image of responsibility: a steady job, two daughters of his own.



In March of 2011, just four months after meeting online, Jennifer brought her 13-year-old daughter Ashlee to North Dakota to meet him in person. 


Whatever happened during that visit must have felt like hope. A second chance. Because by May, they were gone.  Jennifer packed up their life in Kansas, left behind everything they knew, and moved in with Thomas and his two daughters.


To her friends back home, it seemed sudden, maybe even reckless.  But to Jennifer, it probably felt like survival.  Thomas had a good job. He made enough money for the both of them.  And for a woman who had spent years clawing her way out of poverty and abuse, that kind of security was a powerful lure.


One by one, she severed ties with Kansas - no more check-ins, no more visits. 


In 2013, Jennifer and Thomas had a baby girl together. A year later, they married and relocated again - time to the wooded seclusion of Piehl, Wisconsin. A tiny, rural community surrounded by thick forests and winding country roads. 


It was quiet, remote, and for the family, it felt like a fresh chapter.


On the surface, it was a picture of rustic Americana: a blended family living off the land, raising kids, and making a home in the woods. Ashlee seemed to adapt well - at least outwardly.  She enrolled at Rhinelander High School and took a part-time job at the local Shopko. 

She made friends quickly. One of those friends, Jon Rasmussen, would later recall: “She was polite, knew what she was doing… she just wanted to have a decent teenage life.”

But teenage life isn’t always what it seems....

This week’s episode of Morbidology takes a look at the case of Ashlee Martinson. You can listen to episode 318 across all podcast platforms and watch our documentary on YouTube:



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