Ashley Jean Gandolfi

A friend of Ashley Jean Gandolfi described her as "sunshine personified" and "beautiful inside and out." Ashley, a 35-year-old White woman from Salem, Oregon, was the mother of a young daughter. Her life was cut short in a homicide that came to light after a bizarre car crash.

In the early morning of January 27, 2025, deputies in Independence, Oregon, responded to a single-vehicle rollover crash on Corvallis Road. They found the driver, 39-year-old Tyler Andrew Holman, injured and in need of medical attention. Inside the wrecked vehicle, they made a grim discovery: the body of Ashley Gandolfi. Investigators at the scene quickly determined that her death was not a result of the crash, but that her body was being transported at the time. An autopsy later confirmed she had died from a gunshot wound, and her death was ruled a homicide.

The investigation led detectives to the Salem home of Tyler Holman. They learned he and Gandolfi had been in a romantic relationship for over 11 years and shared a child. A search of Holman’s home uncovered a pistol, plastic wrap, and bloody paper towels. Security camera footage showed Gandolfi entering the house, and later, Holman and a friend carrying her body, wrapped in plastic, out of the residence. The friend was identified as Logan Wilkins. Records also showed that Holman had been charged with assaulting Gandolfi in March 2024, though that case was later dismissed.

On January 30, 2025, after being released from the hospital, Holman was arrested and charged with second-degree murder, tampering with evidence, and second-degree abuse of a corpse. During a court appearance, Gandolfi’s family expressed fear for their safety, and a judge ordered Holman held without bail. Logan Wilkins was also arrested and charged with second-degree abuse of a corpse and tampering with physical evidence for helping move Gandolfi's body.

In March 2025, Logan Wilkins pleaded guilty to second-degree abuse of a corpse and tampering with physical evidence. On January 5, 2026, Tyler Andrew Holman pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, and the remaining charges against him were dismissed as part of the plea agreement. On January 14, 2026, Marion County Circuit Judge Channing Bennett sentenced Holman to life in prison. He will be eligible for parole after serving 25 years. The case was officially closed as of January 2026.