The true story behind the Ashley Schwalm case shown on Dateline 

Ashley Schwalm, a 40-year-old mother of two, seemed to be leading a perfect family life in Collingwood, Ontario. But her life came to a tragic end when her burnt-out SUV was found in a remote ditch near the Blue Mountains, on January 26, 2023, with her charred body inside.

Ashley Schwalm had been strangled by her husband, James Schwalm, a former Brampton fire captain, who tried to make the death look like a hiking accident. This is a case of domestic betrayal and a desperate cover-up that shows hidden strains in their marriage, affairs, and talks of divorce.

The story unfolds in NBC's Dateline episode, titled Running Man. It aired on November 14, 2025, at 9 p.m. ET on NBC.

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Dateline: James and Ashley Schwalm's seemingly perfect marriage unravels

Dateline: Running Man (Image via Unsplash/@Cytonn Photography)

Ashley and James Schwalm, who met in their early 30s, were building a life together in Collingwood, known for its winter sports. They married in September 2012 in a ceremony at Craigleith and had two children: a daughter and a son, as reported by Toronto Life. Ashley Schwalm, who enjoyed hikes and family outings, worked as a project coordinator at Blake Farrow Project Management.

James was promoted to fire captain in Brampton in 2021 and came off as a devoted public servant on the job. According to CBC News, in early 2022, he learned of Ashley Schwalm's brief affair with her boss, which ended shortly after it began. The revelation brought them to counseling sessions as they sought to regain trust. Ashley changed jobs to ease tensions.

James began his own affair in January 2023 with the ex-wife of Ashley's former partner. He even texted a friend on January 21 that he planned to focus on his own happiness.

Financial ties added complexity to their relationship. James held two life insurance policies on Ashley Schwalm: one for $250,000, naming their children as beneficiaries, and another for $1 million, payable to him alone, as reported by Global News.

He searched online during this period for details related to alimony and divorce costs, indicating growing concerns about separation. Even at a social event on January 21, 2023, James asked a doctor whether one could kill someone by snapping their neck, which was later referred to as a movie debate, according to CP24.

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The fatal night and the cover-up attempt

James killed Ashley Schwalm for insurance money (Image via Unsplash/@Hush Naidoo Jade Photography)

Everything culminated in the early morning of January 26, 2023, following a tense evening at the Schwalm home. Their nine-year-old son would later tell police he woke around 3 a.m. to raised voices, hearing Ashley Schwalm ask for her phone to call authorities during a dispute with her husband, as per Toronto Life.

James instructed the boy to return to bed. Shortly thereafter, James left the house in a coat, claiming to their son he was walking the dog, though the pet stayed inside, according to Global News. James strangled Ashley Schwalm by compressing her neck during their argument. He then put on hiking clothes on her body and placed the dead body in the passenger seat of her SUV.

At about 4 a.m., he drove about 10 kilometers to a wooded area near the Alpine Ski Club in the Blue Mountains. He poured gasoline inside the vehicle, pushed it off the road into a ditch, and set it on fire to make it appear as an accident. James returned to the highway, leaving behind in the snow a single line of footprints from someone who had fled after setting the fire.

James was home by dawn, acting normally as the children awoke, making breakfast without giving any indication of the horror that had occurred. Using Ashley's phone, he had texted others to give the impression she was leaving for a morning hike at the nearby Craigleith Ski Club, with casual messages about the weather.

No neighbors reported having seen Ashley Schwalm that day, and the dog walk story seemed suspicious because the pet was inside the house. The SUV was found just before 6 a.m., when a passerby spotted flames on Arrowhead Road near Highway 26, as reported by Toronto Life. Firefighters extinguished the fire and found charred remains in the front seat.

A lighter engraved with "JWS," James William Schwalm's initials, lay next to the car in the snow, as per Toronto Life. This hasty scheme devised a scenario of an accidental death during a regular excursion, but the discrepancies, like footprints and staged texts, soon raised suspicions.

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The swift investigation and arrest

Autopsy revealed Ashley Schwalm was strangulated (Image via Unsplash/@Markus Winkler)

Ontario Provincial Police launched a homicide investigation on January 26, 2023, hours after the SUV was found, with the coroner confirming strangulation to be the cause of death, not fire or crash injuries. Dental records identified Ashley Schwalm's body since it was too damaged for visual recognition.

Detectives interviewed James that afternoon; he claimed she had hiked early and shared the fabricated texts as proof. Discrepancies mounted quickly. The son's rendition of the 3 a.m. fight and James's strange departure didn't align with any emergency calls from the residence.

Cell tower data put James' phone near the ditch during the time the fire was ignited, while surveillance video tracked the SUV's journey. Nobody witnessed Ashley out hiking, and her gear at work didn't corroborate the scene. Digital forensic experts traced the texts, leading to James's location, not that of Ashley Schwalm, as reported by Global News.

James's browser history showed that days beforehand, he had searched for car fires, the effects of gasoline, and how to delete browser history. His questions about alimony were linked to the $1 million policy motive. Police visited the house on January 27 when James was at work; they observed him acting calm when he returned home.

By January 28, they arrested him for second-degree murder and indignity to a dead body, as the lighter linked him directly to the crime. He was held without bail. The investigation, led by OPP units from Collingwood and Orillia, relied on timeline mapping rather than a single key find. Accelerant use was confirmed by fire debris analysis, ruling out that Ashley Schwalm's death was an accident.

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The trial, sentencing, and lasting impact

Charges against James Schwalm were upgraded to first-degree murder during his preliminary hearings in 2023. However, he entered a guilty plea to second-degree murder in June 2024, avoiding a full trial, according to CBC News. Justice Michelle Fuerst sentenced him to life in prison on February 10, 2025, with a 20-year parole eligibility period, the maximum for second-degree murder.

In court, James expressed regret, stating that he never thought he was capable of the crime, but he was emotionless as Ashley Schwalm's family members watched the sentencing. He will not be allowed to see the kids until they are 18 due to a no-contact order. He is still in an Ontario facility and could be released as early as 2045, as per CBC News.

The kids, who are now eight and 11, are protected from specifics by living with extended family. In remembrance of Ashley Schwalm, her family is raising money for My Friend's House, a shelter for victims of domestic abuse in Collingwood, according to CTV News.

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Dateline's episode Running Man is streaming on NBC.