Brandy B. Ashdown, 39, was shot and killed in Ely-area country on October 20, 2023. Reports describe the death as an apparent murder; local law enforcement opened a homicide investigation. She was born Brandy Berene Ware on March 13, 1984, in Cedar City, Utah, and was living in Ruth, a small town near Ely, at the time of her death. The news of the shooting shocked the local community, where gun violence is described as uncommon.

Her name was later added to the National Gun Violence Memorial. If anyone knew Brandy, her routines, or saw something in the Ruth or Ely area around October 20, 2023, please share information with the investigating agency.