GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A judge on Friday determined there is enough evidence against 29-year-old Jared Chance to have him stand trial for the murder and dismemberment of Ashley Young, whose partial remains were found in Chance's Grand Rapids home.
Evidence retrieved from the house on Franklin Street SE included the victim's torso, a cardboard box of body parts and suspected human tissue in the kitchen.
Authorities say they believe Young, 31, died on or about Nov. 30. She was last seen with Chance in Grand Rapids.
A downstairs neighbor called Grand Rapids police on Dec. 2 after seeing what appeared to be a bloody tarp in a shared basement of their home at 922 Franklin Street east of Dolbee Avenue SE.
"There's blood in my basement,'' downstairs tenant Mario Nelson testified, recalling the Dec. 2 discovery. "There's not supposed to be blood in my basement.''
Grand Rapids police recovered the victim's torso from the basement and a box of body parts on a stairway landing. Other evidence was found throughout the house. The victim's head has not been recovered.
Grand Rapids Police Sgt. Gregory Griffin said a search of Chance's kitchen showed evidence of blood and human remains.
"I removed the elbow of the drain just in case any flesh or blood got washed down into the sink,'' Griffin testified. "I pulled that off and noticed what appeared to be flesh.''
In the days prior to the gruesome discovery, Jared Chance was seen with Young in Grand Rapids. Young, who lived in Kalamazoo County's Oshtemo Township, was last seen alive early Nov. 29.
Her car was found a few blocks from the Franklin Street home. Her purse was found in a trash bin outside Miss Tracy's Liquor Store, located a short distance away.
A man identified as Chance bought beer and ammonia at Miss Tracy's on Nov. 29. The top of an ammonia bottle purchased at Miss Tracy's was found in the trunk of a car belonging to the defendant's parents, James and Barbara Chance, according to testimony.
Police also recovered a box of latex gloves from the trunk and found evidence of blood.
A search of the parents' home on W. 20th Street in Holland turned up a power saw beneath the living room couch. A crime scene technician said the saw showed evidence of blood and tissue.
James and Barbara Chance each are charged with being an accessory after the fact to a felony, which is punishable by up to five years in prison. They are also charged with perjury, a potential life offense.
A judge on Thursday sent their felony cases to Kent County Circuit Court.
After hearing more than four hours of testimony on Friday, Jan. 11, Grand Rapids District Court Judge Jennifer Faber moved the felony cases against Jared Chance to Kent County Circuit Court.
His charges include open murder, mutilation of a dead body and tampering with evidence. Chance is also charged with being a habitual offender for prior felony convictions.
Defense attorney Andrew Rodenhouse opposed the bind-over, saying there is no evidence that Chance killed Ashley Young.
Chance, who turns 30 later this month, is being held without bond in the Kent County Jail.
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