Ashley Turniak case remains unresolved 28 years after her death on I-91

LONGMEADOW, MA (WGGB/WSHM) -- Twenty-eight years after 16-year-old Ashley Turniak fell from a speeding car on Interstate 91, prosecutors continue to list her death as an unresolved homicide.

Turniak’s best friends, Jennifer Walker and Maria Valley, recently spoke about the case, the memories they share, and the questions that remain.

A friendship remembered

At Agawam High School, a tree dedicated to Turniak stands as a reminder of the life she did not get to experience beyond high school.

“I am just very thankful that I had the opportunity to know her, to love her and to miss her actually,” Walker said.

“We remember her all the time. She’s brought up all the time. Memories are brought up,” Valley said. “I feel her with me.”

Walker and Valley walked the streets of Agawam with Turniak until November 9, 1998, the day Turniak died. The night before, Turniak told Walker she wanted to skip class because she had not finished a project.

“I found it odd,” Walker added. “‘Cause Ashley was a good kid. You know, she went to school, she did what she was supposed to do.”

The unanswered questions

Walker said she was walking to school when she saw police activity throughout Agawam.

“You’re walking to school, thinking you’re going to meet up with your friend and the cops are flying everywhere in Agawam and you’re like, ‘Wow, I wonder what’s going on,’” Walker explained.

By the time Walker arrived at campus, Turniak was gone.

“The question that remains in my head is ‘Why did you leave school? Why didn’t you just wait for me? I was on my way,’” Walker said.

Court records said a state trooper was parked on the shoulder of I-91, just before the Connecticut border, when Turniak fell from a speeding car in front of him. The trooper ran to her, but the car continued into Enfield, CT. Turniak died in the trooper’s arms.

The Hampden District Attorney’s Office lists the case as an unresolved homicide on its website.

“It was disbelief. It was, um, what do you mean? Like what’s going on?” Walker said. “Twenty-eight years later and we can’t believe that that was our friend.”

The investigation

Witnesses described the car in different ways. According to court records, the most consistent accounts pointed to a tan Ford sedan.

Court records indicated that police identified Alexis Maldonado as their only suspect at the time. The records also show Maldonado and Turniak were dating and that Maldonado was interviewed by police. He was never charged in Turniak’s death.

A phone number listed for Maldonado online went to voicemail. A request for an interview was left, but no response was received.

Mass. State Police were contacted four times for new information and referred questions to the district attorney’s office. The Hampden District Attorney’s Office was contacted three times, but did not respond.

“There’s things here that could have, you know, helped with the case that I felt like they just didn’t, um, you know, further investigate,” Walker said.

Remembering Ashley

Online speculation about Turniak’s death has continued over the years. Some people believe she was pushed, while others believe the driver may have frightened her so badly that she tried to jump from the car.

“Year after year passes and you kind of get angrier,” Walker said. “Her mom deserves to know what happened to her daughter.”

Turniak’s mother, Annette Turniak, has given multiple interviews about her daughter over the years. She gave Walker and Valley permission to participate in the interview with Western Mass News.

Walker and Valley recalled Turniak’s thoughtfulness, creativity, and character. They brought a jewelry box that Turniak gave them as a gift and shared memories of moments she should have experienced, including her 21st birthday and time spent with friends.

“She knows I speak to her every day,” Valley said.

“She had so many things that she wanted to do and it was just taken from her,” Walker said. “So much potential in this world to make it a better place and unfortunately didn’t get that.”

How to provide information

The case remains on the Hampden District Attorney’s Office’s unresolved homicides list.

Anyone with information can contact the State Police Detective Unit at 413-505-5941 or the State Police Unresolved Cases Unit at 855-MA-SOLVE (855-627-6583). Tips can also be sent by texting the word “Solve” to CRIMES (274637).