Investigators say darkness, distance and conflicting statements undermined Jason Simpson’s account that Ashley Silverman died by suicide.

CECILTON, Md. — What began as a report of a woman in medical distress at a Cecilton home became a homicide investigation after authorities said physical evidence and a series of conflicting statements cast doubt on the account given by the man now charged in her death.

Jason Timothy Simpson, 28, is charged with second-degree murder in the June 18 death of Ashley Silverman, 28, according to Maryland State Police. Investigators say Silverman died from asphyxiation, and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore ruled the death a homicide. Simpson, who was at the West Main Street residence when troopers arrived, had told investigators that Silverman hanged herself from a backyard swing set. Court records described in local reporting later showed why detectives did not accept that version of events.

One of the most important questions was whether Simpson could have seen what he claimed to have seen. According to court documents reported by Law&Crime and The Cecil Whig, Simpson said Silverman arrived at the home on the night of June 17, knocked on the door and made statements about wanting to die. He said she then went around to the backyard while he checked on two children who were crying inside. A few minutes later, Simpson told police, he looked outside and saw Silverman hanging from the swing set.

Investigators measured the distance between the house and the swing set at about 155 feet. They also described the backyard at the relevant time as almost completely dark. Those conditions became central to the case because detectives concluded that Simpson could not have observed Silverman from the house in the way he described. Court documents characterized the claimed observation as an impossibility. Police also said evidence led them to believe the scene had been staged to make Silverman’s death appear to be a suicide.

Simpson told investigators that after finding Silverman, he placed her in a wagon and moved her into the house before calling 911. But investigators said the emergency call was not immediate. According to the court records described by Law&Crime, Simpson called his mother three times and then waited at least another 30 minutes before contacting emergency dispatchers. Troopers from the Maryland State Police North East Barrack ultimately responded at about 1:45 a.m. on June 18 to the 100 block of West Main Street for what was reported as a person in medical distress.

Detectives also focused on discrepancies about who had been at the residence and when Silverman had last been there. Simpson initially said his mother had been present, according to the reported court records, but investigators said his mother later told police she had not been there. Simpson also allegedly said Silverman had not been at the Cecilton home for several months. Neighbors, however, told investigators they had seen her there only two days before her death. Taken together, police treated those differences as more than minor errors in recollection.

The official cause and manner of death added another layer to the investigation. Silverman was pronounced dead at the residence and taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore. Maryland State Police later announced that the medical examiner had ruled her death a homicide caused by asphyxiation. The agency did not publicly describe all of the medical evidence underlying that finding. State police said homicide investigators and technicians from the Forensic Sciences Division processed the Cecilton residence as investigators worked with the Cecil County State’s Attorney’s Office.

Another part of the case emerged from Simpson’s reported activity after Silverman’s death. Court documents cited by Law&Crime said Simpson was seeking dates on Tinder shortly afterward and represented himself as a widower with no “baby momma drama.” The dating activity does not by itself establish how Silverman died, but investigators included it among the circumstances documented during the inquiry. Simpson had described himself to police as Silverman’s boyfriend, according to the same reporting, and the two shared children.

The homicide investigation also unfolded against a documented history of domestic-violence allegations and court intervention involving Simpson and Silverman. Law&Crime, citing The Cecil Whig, reported that Simpson was convicted of second-degree assault in a case stemming from a September 2024 incident in which he was accused of charging at Silverman with a knife after she took his phone. A judge imposed a two-year prison sentence but suspended it and placed Simpson on probation for 18 months. Those earlier proceedings were separate from the pending murder charge.

Law&Crime also reported that Simpson was arrested again in November 2024, about 10 days after the assault conviction, after he allegedly choked Silverman. That arrest was reported as a violation of both his probation and a protective order then in effect. Simpson also acknowledged to investigators that the relationship had involved domestic violence, according to court documents. The existence of those earlier cases does not determine guilt in the homicide prosecution, but the record provides context for why investigators examined the couple’s history as part of the death investigation.

Silverman’s death left four young children, according to reporting based on the court case: 11-month-old twins and two boys, ages 3 and 4. Law&Crime reported that Simpson was the father of two of her children. Authorities have disclosed little publicly about the children or their circumstances after Silverman’s death, and no additional details are included here because the children are minors and are not accused of wrongdoing. State police have also not announced a motive for the alleged killing.

Nearly 10 weeks passed between Silverman’s death and the announcement that Simpson had been charged with murder. Maryland State Police said investigators consulted with the Cecil County State’s Attorney’s Office before filing the second-degree murder charge. Simpson was arrested without incident and taken to the Cecil County Detention Center. State police said he was being held without bond. WBAL-TV later reported that the homicide case was scheduled for another court appearance on Nov. 24, while state police continued to describe the investigation as active and ongoing.

The prosecution remains pending, and the allegations against Simpson have not been proven at trial. No reliable public source reviewed for this report showed a final resolution of the homicide case as of Oct. 19. The central dispute remains the sharp difference between Simpson’s account of a suicide in the backyard and investigators’ conclusion that Silverman’s death was a homicide and that key portions of his story were inconsistent with the scene.

Author note: Last updated October 19, 2026.