Woman found dead after texts with daughter revealed poisoning plot, Indiana cops say

An Indiana woman was found dead at her home after months-old texts revealing a plot to kill her late husband came to light, according to investigators.

Deputies with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office responded to Marsha Allen’s home, off of State Highway 135, on Oct. 16 after family members called to say they couldn’t get in contact with her, according to a news release from Sheriff Rick Meyer posted on Facebook. Allen was found dead at her home “with no signs of violence,” Meyer said.

Allen’s death comes as she and her daughter, Ashley Jones, 29, are under scrutiny by investigators, according to the release.

Nearly a month earlier, on Sept. 19, there was a break-in at Allen’s house, the sheriff’s office said. Deputies investigated and determined two men were responsible, but they “committed the burglary at the direction of and with the assistance of [Allen’s] daughter Ashley Jones,” the release said.

Investigators seized Allen’s phone and found text messages between her and Jones talking about killing her husband, Harold Allen, with poison in December 2022, the sheriff’s office said.

Deputies returned with a search warrant and took more electronic devices as evidence, according to the release.

Investigators didn’t say why Jones asked the two men to burglarize her mother’s home, but during an Oct. 17 interview with officers, she said she had purchased a chemical online called ethylene glycol, which she gave to her mother. Jones said she didn’t poison her mother’s husband, according to the sheriff’s office.

Allen slipped the ethylene glycol in her husband’s drink, Jones told investigators.

Officials didn’t provide a motive for the killing, but the investigation is ongoing.

Deputies arrested Jones on Wednesday, Oct. 18 on charges of murder, attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder and burglary, the release said.

Jackson County is roughly 50 miles south of Indianapolis.

This story was originally published October 18, 2023 at 1:23 PM with the headline "Woman found dead after texts with daughter revealed poisoning plot, Indiana cops say."