Feb. 17—The FBI and other agencies are assisting in the investigation of a shooting that occurred early Monday that devastated a Tipp City family active in the community, schools and churches.
Police were called around 2:30 a.m. to reports that Ashley Flynn, 37, was found dead in her home in the 900 block of Cunningham Court in connection with a burglary. The results of an autopsy performed Tuesday were pending, but Tipp City Police Chief Greg Adkins said she was shot twice.
Adkins said his department remains the lead agency on the investigation, which he called a “complex case.”
“We’re not set up as a homicide squad. We’re set up as a public services squad. So that’s why we need additional manpower,” he said.
According to the Tipp City Police Department’s 2025 annual report, the department has fewer than 25 full-time officers and serves approximately 10,500 residents.
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation responded in the early morning hours after the shooting, and Adkins called other agencies Tuesday.
“We also reached out to the Miami County Sheriff’s Office, the Miami County Prosecutor’s Office and the Dayton FBI Office, who assisted us not only with manpower but additional resources and expertise in certain areas to help resolve this situation,” Adkins said.
He said investigators were working as quickly as possible but not at the expense of due diligence to ensure they were gathering all evidence.
Adkins said he encourages neighbors to provide lots of advice as well as video footage from neighbors.
“There might be someone who has enough money, you know, that’s what we need to help us.”
Cunningham Court residents describe the Flynns as wonderful, active neighbors who have lived on the cul-de-sac for about four or five years.
Flynn coached seventh-grade girls volleyball at Tippecanoe Middle School and served as a substitute teacher at Tippe City Schools, where she also served as a teacher, according to the district. For the past year, she has worked as a teacher at LifeWise Academy in Tipp City, a nonprofit organization that provides Bible-based education during school hours to public school students living away from campus.
She and her husband Caleb are also former staff members of the Christian Life Center in Butler Twp, where Caleb Flynn was involved in music ministry. Although no longer serving as staff, they remain active members.
In 2013, Caleb Flynn appeared as a contestant on American Idol Season 12 while serving as a music pastor. During the interview, he shared: “I love my wife more than anything. She’s very, very beautiful. I love her.”
Neighbors said the Flynns and their two elementary-school-aged daughters were often seen outside with the family’s two golden retrievers. They set up a volleyball net in the backyard and a basketball hoop in the driveway, and they often threw softballs outside.
During Christmas, the Flynns would make cookies and have the girls deliver gifts to their neighbors.
The tight-knit Tipp City community is rallying behind the Flynn family. The prayer vigil and online fundraiser sought to raise $50,000 in one day, with more than $80,000 raised as of 6:45 p.m. Tuesday.
Now, neighbors say they hope police solve the case quickly so Ashley Flynn can get justice and his family can find peace.
