When Ashley and Ryan Donohue learned that their mother, Sarah Hartsfield, had been detained by the police for the murder of his fifth husband, Joseph Hartsfield, they were rather shocked. The children, who are the property of Sarah and her third husband, Christopher Donohue, asserted they were aware that Sarah’s history of abuse and murder claims would eventually catch up with her. Ashley and Ryan are interviewed for the first time in “Dateline: Along Came Sarah,” which chronicles the occurrence and includes interviews with them. Let’s go at the specifics and learn where Ashley and Ryan are right now, shall we?
Who Are Ashley and Ryan Donohue?
While serving in the Army in Alaska, Sarah Hartsfield got to know Christopher Donohue, the father of Ashley and Ryan. They later served together at Fort Hood, Texas, where they later were married in 1999. The fact that Ryan, Ashley, and their two other siblings grew up in a posh area of Belton, Texas, will fascinate readers. Ryan said throughout the episode that his parents valued appearance above everything else and that they wanted their kids to follow orders without questioning them. Interestingly, the kids knew both sets of foster parents for Sarah, yet they insisted their mother was unlike anyone they had ever encountered. She was incredibly violent and controlling, and if Christopher tried to defend the kids, she would even turn on him.
According to reports, Sarah Hartsfield did not hold back when it came to correcting her kids and frequently used physical force to coerce compliance. Ryan was had to miss school for a number of consecutive days while his family convinced the administration that he was ill, according to the television show. Ryan said that he could leave the house, despite the fact that his mother had beaten him, leaving bruises all over his body. According to sources, Sarah allegedly tortured the kids psychologically and even Ashley at times, telling them that no one would believe them even if they complained about their mother. The harassment continued for years as a result of the Donohue kids’ silence.
Sarah’s marriage was irreparably damaged, and Ryan relocated to South Korea with his father in 2016 despite the fact that she eventually apologised for her conduct by claiming that Christopher caused her to be sad, as was acknowledged by the kids. After then, in 2018, Christopher and Sarah divorced, which made their kid move back in with his mother and sisters in Texas. Ryan discovered Sarah was engaged to David Bragg and the family was relocating to a home in Douglas County, Minnesota after arriving back in Texas.
However, reports claim that Ryan and David were unable to communicate, and as a result, the former suffered violent domestic abuse at the hands of the latter. Surprisingly, Sarah initially sided with David, but on May 9, 2018, she claimed that a fight led to her fiance shooting her. The authorities declared Sarah’s shooting of David dead at that point to be in self-defense. Even though Ryan was acquainted with his mother’s fourth husband, David George, and her fifth husband, Joseph Hartsfield, in the years that followed, he gradually drifted away from her. Ryan nonetheless asserted that he had been waiting to see his mother in custody his entire life and had no idea it was even conceivable.
Where Are Ryan and Ashley Donohue Now?
Even though she once paid him and his flatmate with Joseph Hartsfield a visit, Ryan insisted while on the show that he was pretty estranged from his mother in the early 2020s. In addition, the son requested that Sarah stayed for several weeks even though the trip was only meant to last a few days, engaging in a fight with his flatmate. He appears to be a postal worker who lives in his own flat in San Antonio, Texas, despite this, from the looks of things.
Ashley, on the other hand, is currently a resident of Killeen, Texas, but she likes to keep her private life private. When asked about his mother’s arrest during an interview for the programme, Ryan admitted that he wasn’t sure how to react and added, “If there is a conviction and she pretty much gets the ultimate punishment, whatever happens next is between her and God.”
