GREENSBORO, N.C. — Five years after their deaths, the killings of Asia Brown, a 22-year-old security guard from Greensboro and her 2-year-old son, Ashton, remain unsolved.
On Feb. 23, 2015, police responded to a field at the dead-end of Industrial Drive in Greensboro. No one at the business park could answer how Asia's burning Buick Lacrosse arrived in the field or for how long it had been there. The last time Asia was seen alive was three days earlier, on Friday, purchasing parts from the AutoZone on Randleman Road.
The Triad mother's and son's scorched remains were found in the trunk of the Buick. Greensboro Police Detective Mike Matthews, the lead investigator on the case, considers the circumstances among the most difficult he's faced in the 20-plus years he's served on the force.
A snowstorm and the fire had left little clues. As forensic teams gathered data, Matthews set out to piece together what might have happened.
"When we get a homicide investigation we want to know who are victims are," Matthews said. "We want to know who where they were, what their habits were, they are relationships (and) whether they('ve) been in them or they have them, who their friends are. And we call that a victimology.”
In 2020, despite numerous information releases and calls for tips, the case remains cold. There is a $10,000 reward for information that helps solve the case.
"We learned that she was last seen alive on Friday, February 20 at around 3:20 p.m. in the afternoon at the AutoZone on Randleman road. [Asia] apparently got the car in High Point, went to the AutoZone to get some accessories. Ashton was not in the store with her. I’m not gonna guess where Ashton was," Matthews said. "The big things we're missing is if somebody had seen Asia or Ashton around that time frame that Friday, Feb. 20. That is somebody we need to talk to. If she had had time to drop that child off before going in the store we need to talk to the person she dropped the child off with or anybody who saw her drop the child off. That would be very important in this investigation."
Despite the lack of leads, Matthews said he still has faith the case can be solved.
"I know that cases can be cleared five years after they’re cold. I’ve cleared cases in longer time periods than that. In early 2015-16, we were able to clear a 2002 homicide that occurred in Greensboro. That’s almost 13, 14 years later so it can be done."
If you have any information about Asia and Ashton Brown's case, call Crime Stoppers at 336-373-1000. The call can remain anonymous.
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