1. Mom of baby who died in car released from jail
Mom faces charges of negligent homicide after leaving son in car
Astrid Galvan, Amanda Wible and Teana Wagner
The Arizona Republic
Nov. 1, 2007 09:14 AM
Ashly V. Duchene was released from jail on Wednesday at approximately 10:15
p.m. and transported to an unknown location for medical related issues,
according to Det. Charles Scubella of the Maricopa County Sheriff's office.
She remains under medical supervison by the Maricopa County Sheriff's
office as of Thursday morning.
Just one day before 17-month-old Ryan Gallagher died after his mother left
him in a car outside the Hooters restaurant where she worked, his father,
Clayton Gallagher, asked to take full custody of the boy, a court document
shows.
Duchene, 22, who was arrested about 1:15 a.m. Wednesday on suspicion of
negligent homicide in the death of her son, remained in a Maricopa County
jail late Wednesday while family members waited for hours, expecting her
release.
The relatives refused to comment about the death of the boy, who had been
left in the car for seven hours. His mother told police she forgot to drop
him off at day care.
Court records show Clayton Gallagher had spoken on the phone with Duchene
for 1 1/2 hours the day before Ryan's death. She told him that she
"couldn't do it anymore" and she didn't want Ryan around because he cried
so much. She also couldn't stand not seeing him every day and rebuffed
Gallagher's offer to take him.
Court documents and police painted a picture of a troubled 22-year-old who
did not make her son a priority. But one friend disputed that image,
calling Duchene a "wonderful" mother who recently had a lot going on in her
life.

2. Court documents say that Duchene had attempted suicide at least once, and
Phoenix spokesman Sgt. Joel Tranter said interviews with family members and
close friends revealed that Duchene was an unhappy mother. Those close to
Duchene said she wanted her freedom and did not make the child a priority.
Duchene told authorities that on Monday she almost forgot Ryan in the car
but remembered he was there before going to work. Ryan, she said, had been
in his grandfather's care for a few weeks and she was out of the habit of
dropping him at day care.
Ken Elliot, a regular at Hooters, was close with Duchene and Ryan.
"She's wonderful, and she's a wonderful mother," Elliot said.
Elliot has frequented the restaurant for the past decade and said Duchene
was his favorite waitress.
He cried as he recounted discovering the baby and told of how he and
witnesses laid Ryan in the bed of one man's truck and tried to keep the
waitresses and Duchene from seeing the baby until authorities arrived.
Elliot said Duchene was so devoted to her son that after the two had been
separated for a few weeks, she took a day off to be with her little boy.
He added that Duchene had been working long hours to help pay bills and
support her current boyfriend (not Gallagher), who was injured in a
motorcycle accident and out of work for the past month.
On Wednesday, Elliot, several other regular customers, and many of
Duchene's co-workers talked to members of the Phoenix Fire Department
Crisis Response Team.
"I think it's harder on me than a lot of the girls," Elliot said. "He was
like my great-grandson."
Melanie Gulmetti, regional marketing manager for all Hooters restaurants in
Arizona, said the company was deeply saddened by the tragedy and Duchene
had been a waitress at Hooters for 2 1/2 years and was well liked by
co-workers.