Man Arrested in Ohio For The Killing Of East Wenatchee Woman

A man suspected of killing a 28-year-old East Wenatchee woman is in custody in Ohio. 

Police identified 22-year-old Ashton Bunting Jr. of East Wenatchee as a person of interest shortly after the killing of Synthia Ring in an apartment in the 500 block of Eastmont Avenue last Tuesday. 

By Thursday, Detectives had worked with the Douglas County Prosecutor’s Office and obtained a nationwide extradition arrest warrant for Bunting Jr. on 2nd Degree Murder. 

East Wenatchee Police Chief Rick Johnson says Bunting Jr. was traveling across the country before getting pulled over this morning at about 9:30. 

"He was pulled over for speeding outside of Toledo, Ohio by an Ohio State patrolman, and he was taken into custody on our arrest warrant without incident," said Johnson. 

Police say Bunting Jr. was living with Ring at the time of the killing. 

The timeline for returning him to East Wenatchee has not been determined. 

Bunting Jr. had already traveled to South Dakota when Ring’s body was discovered last Tuesday. Police say he hit a deer while driving and was given a ride by a deputy to another location, with the accident occurring three hours before East Wenatchee Police were sent to Ring's apartment on a welfare check. 

Police in South Dakota informed East Wenatchee Police of their encounter with Bunting Jr. after receiving the nationwide alert days later. 

Bunting Jr. was also recorded on surveillance video entering a bicycle shop in Marshall, Minnesota last Wednesday. 

Police discovered Ring's body when they entered her apartment Thursday and found her four-year-old son crying in the living room. 

They say they were forced to break through a locked bedroom door before locating her deceased. 

Medics arrived and noted that Ring had marks on her body, indicating force was the likely cause of death. 

Police Captain Johnson said Bunting Jr. quickly became a person of interest after they learned he was living with her. 

"People involved in relationships, they are the person of interest until we figure out what's going on," Johnson said. "And we were unable to locate him at the time of the call when we responded."  

East Wenatchee Police say an investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact River Com at 509-663-9911.