Ashley Wadsworth was killed while visiting a man she met online in England. The man, Jack Sepple, has been charged with her murder. (Ashley Wadsworth Facebook)

By Glenn Hicks / Kelowna10

Friend remembers ‘always laughing’ Ashley Wadsworth, but ‘she needed help’

Feb 3, 2022 | 4:18 PM

VERNON — A friend of Ashley Wadsworth, the young Vernon woman murdered in England this week, says there was never a dull moment with her.

But, she had also been reaching out for help and her relationship with the boyfriend who has been charged with her death “wasn’t good,” according to someone who kept regular contact with her.

Media reports say she met Jack Sepple online and was planning to fly back to Vernon this week. The 23-year-old Sepple has since been charged in her murder.

Daniel Seaman, a student at the Mormon-sponsored Brigham Young University (BYU) in Utah, told Kelowna10 he met Wadsworth while doing community service for the church in Vernon early last year. He said she had been “looking for faith” and was baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in March.

“Ashley was a ball of energy … she used to have a Facebook account where she posted jokes and memes all day, every single day,” Seaman said. “She was really funny, always laughing and excited, and she always said what was on her mind. Never a dull moment.”

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But Seaman said Wadsworth had recently been reaching out to him and friend groups across North America, who were putting her in contact with people in England “that could help her and work with the authorities.”

He did not go into specifics, saying he did not have that much information about her situation.

“She just said that she needed help,” Seaman said, adding she had been reaching out through different social media accounts because “her boyfriend didn’t want to talk with us a lot of the time.”

Seaman said Wadsworth was resilient in dealing with her relationships, even though she had a very supportive family and friends, but she had gone online to explore new places and different relationships.

“It seemed like when the going got tough she wanted a change in scenery,” Seaman explained. “I think the friendships weren’t that deep. She searched the world for connections, and I think that’s how she connected with [her boyfriend].”

The prospect of a new, exciting life in England with new friends was tempting, he said.

Speaking to the potential dangers of young people leaving home and finding connections exclusively online, Seaman said it was important to keep friends close.

“We need to look out for each other, we need to keep those that are close, close. And we need to recognize what healthy relationships look like. I know from conversing with Ashley, her relationship with [Sepple] wasn’t good,” he explained.

“My biggest advice for people pursing relationships online is keep your friends close, let them be aware of what’s going on. Something Ashley did really well was keeping an open and honest line of communication with us. We had church friends back in England who were in contact with her and we were able to have people who knew where to go when she was in some kind of need because she stayed open with us.”

Seaman plans to travel back to Canada in the coming weeks and hopes there will be an opportunity to remember and celebrate Wadsworth’s life.