WASHINGTON COUNT, Md. (WBFF) — A mother who investigators said fled the state after being convicted in connection with her daughter’s death has been captured.
The case, which first featured on Maryland’s Most Wanted, has prompted some lawmakers to take a closer look at post-conviction bail.
According to the U.S. Marshals Service, Ashley Nicole Franklin, 39, was arrested in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, on June 23.
Franklin had been on the run for nearly a year after failing to show up to court for her sentencing in Washington County Circuit Court.
In August 2025, a jury found the mother guilty of felony child abuse charges in connection with the 2021 death of her 10-month-old daughter Bella.
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Following the verdict, a judge granted Franklin bail.
This, despite her previous failure to appear for trial in this case.
Less than a week later, Franklin failed to appear in court, and a warrant was issued for her arrest.
While Franklin was on the run, Maryland State Senator Paul Corderman spearheaded legislation surrounding post-conviction bail.
Specifically, the bill would have prohibited the release of a defendant awaiting sentencing following a conviction for a violent crime or child neglect that results in the death of a child under the age of 14.
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Senate Bill 0640 and House Bill 1044 both failed to make it out of committee, according to Corderman.
But the Senator said he plans to reintroduce the legislation next session.
“Legislation sometimes takes a while,” said Senator Corderman. “You have to meet with the opponents and the proponents and kind of find a place in the middle that you can meet, so to speak. I don’t know if there is that place. I mean, it’s pretty black and white and pretty straightforward. But we need to have a conversation with the Maryland Judiciary because they were the ones who opposed it. So we need to have those conversations here, you know, forthcoming prior to the next session, along with probably some members of the committees themselves. And so we’ll continue to do our due diligence on that going forward.”
Despite her failure to appear for sentencing, a judge sentenced Franklin to a combined 100 years in prison.
It’s unclear when or if Franklin has already been extradited to Maryland.
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