A Canadian teenager killed during an overseas trip to meet her English boyfriend for the first time after connecting online was planning to cut short her trip amid relationship trouble, a friend says.
Ashley Wadsworth, 19, was discovered after being fatally stabbed in her Chelmsford, England, flat on Tuesday afternoon. She was visiting town – about 40 miles northeast London — to be with 23-year-old Jack Sepel, who has now been charged with her murder.
Her friend Anna-Marie Taylor told DailyMail.com that Wadsworth had initially planned to stay with Sepel until April after arriving in November, but recently changed her mind and was set to return on Thursday. .
‘She cut it short because things weren’t going very well,’ Taylor said, adding: ‘She really loved him. Things were wonderful earlier.’
A neighbor in Chelmsford told DailyMail.com that Ashley’s family had actually paid for her plane ticket to return to Canada – which would have been on Thursday – when she called and told them she was staying in the UK. not amused.
Taylor stated that she was not aware of any abuse in the relationship, nor did she elaborate on why their relationship began to fall apart. She said that the couple met online in 2020; According to other reports, they met in person for the first time.
Ashley Wadsworth, 19, flew from Canada to England last November to meet her 23-year-old online boyfriend Jack Sepel (pictured together in a photo posted to Facebook on Jan 30)
Wadsworth was fatally stabbed inside a flat in Chelmsford, England, on Tuesday, just days before she was set to return home in Vernon, British Columbia. The couple is pictured in London on January 11, 2022
Wadsworth, who was converted to the Church of the Latter-day Saints at the age of 18, was described by church mate Daniel Seaman as a ‘woman of great faith’ who ‘even took her faith with her. Wanted to share lover.’
The victim, from the small British Columbia town of Vernon, is now being remembered by loved ones living in Canada.
Her cousin, Amanda Wadsworth, told DailyMail.com, ‘Ashley was a beautiful, smart, caring young woman. ‘She was on what should have been the journey of a lifetime and was taken away from us too soon.
‘My cousin was a beautiful, kind, loving girl who didn’t deserve it.’
She declined to comment on Sepal, saying: ‘I’m not interested in talking about him.’
Ashley’s sister, Hailey, also mourned the loss of her younger brother.
“You always came to stay with your little niece, Paisley, who definitely loves her aunt,” she said. You’ve done an amazing job dear, you cared for your family so much, you always put us first.
‘God obtained another beautiful angel. I love you so much girl.’
A friend of Wadworth said, ‘She really loved him.’ ‘Things were wonderful before’
Sepel is shown in a court sketch during his court appearance at Colchester Magistrates’ Court on February 3, 2022
Seppel was detained for wearing a gray sweater and pants during his appearance
Wadsworth documented their journey across the pond on Facebook, and shared a selfie of the couple smiling for the camera just days before her death.
Her boyfriend, wearing a gray jumper and trousers, appeared at Colchester Magistrates’ Court on Thursday and was remanded in custody for murder.
He will next appear at Chelmsford Crown Court on Friday.
Wadsworth was described by church-going partner Danielle Seaman as a ‘woman of great faith’ who ‘even wanted to share her faith with her lover’.
The teen, who had never left Canada before but was said to want to escape ‘small town life’, went to the UK on a six-month tourist visa to live with Sepal on 12 November.
The couple met in 2020 on an online dating app, a friend said. They met in person for the first time since moving to England
During his visit to the UK, Wadsworth visited dozens of tourist sites in London including Buckingham Palace and Big Ben
Her best friend, Mackenzie Pam, shared an emotional tribute to the victim on Facebook.
‘I wish I could remind you one last time that I love you. But instead I feel like writing it down and sharing it is like sending a prayer to remind you how much you mean to me,’ Pam wrote.
‘You were my best friend, my family and my rock since grade 7. We went through so many phases together, we did so many silly things together. We made lots of memories.
‘… I hope everything you read in church and others is heaven. And Ashley just knows, I love you.’
His sister Hailey shared a picture of them together, titled ‘Our angel’. In another post, Hailey vowed to ‘get justice’ for her dead sister.
He wrote, ‘My poor sister, we will get justice baby.’ ‘I love you very much I miss you everyday Your elder sister loves you.’
His sister Hailey paid tribute on Facebook with the caption ‘my angel’
In another post she vowed to ‘get justice’ for her dead younger sister who had recently converted to Mormonism
According to its authority’s website, Wadsworth flew to the UK from Vernon, a city about 270 miles northeast of Vancouver with a population of about 43,000.
The city is surrounded by three lakes and offers ‘an exceptional quality of life with a mix of urban amenities, world class resorts, amazing recreational opportunities’.
Mormons have been present in British Columbia since 1872 and the province’s approximately 31,000 residents are served by its Langley Temple.
During his visit to the UK, Wadsworth visited dozens of tourist sites in London, including Buckingham Palace and Big Ben.
She also joined Seppel’s family to visit the historic town of Rye in East Sussex.
Her stepmother Charmaine Wadsworth told CBC News today: ‘We’re just remembering how strong, smart and funny Ashley was – how kind she was and how she was always 10 steps ahead of all of us.
‘She will be greatly missed by each one of us.’
,