The son was sent to prison for killing the mother in San Tan Valley

SAN TAN VALLEY, AZ (AZ Family) — An 18-year-old man is facing charges for killing his mother in Pinal County this week.

Alan Ashcroft was booked into jail Thursday afternoon in connection with the death of his mother, Mary Collier, according to the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office. He faces a charge of first-degree murder.

The San Tan Valley community remains in shock as loved ones reveal new details about Collier.

Collier’s husband and one of her sons spoke to the Arizona family off camera, saying the loss was tragic, sudden and inexplicable.

The 38-year-old was a mother of four who will be deeply missed by all who knew her. Collier is remembered as kind, loving, caring and patient.

With Halloween decorations hanging on this quiet San Tan Valley street, neighbors struggle to understand how something truly scary happened while families prepare to go trick-or-treating.

“Yesterday my stomach was really tight, I was just thinking how could someone be so nasty and mean to the person who brought them into this world,” said Jill Appleberry, a neighbor who lives just a few doors down from the Collier family.

The The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office says Collier’s 18-year-old son killed her with a sawed-off gun in a nearby field, then left her body and called 911 to make it look like she had been kidnapped.

“Someone who obviously doesn’t want to be caught in what they did because they have to make up a story and say something that wasn’t true because they found out that part of it was false, nobody kidnapped their mom, he did it himself,” Appleberry said.

Collier’s husband told Arizona’s Family reporter Micaela Marshall that there was some sort of argument Tuesday night, and mother and son went together the next morning, hoping to resolve any lingering issues.

When the son came home alone, the husband asked where she was and said his son’s story kept changing. They went out to look for her together, but a jogger made the gruesome discovery a short time later.

“Disgust that another life has to be lost to violence,” Appleberry said. “As a mother, I feel bad for the children because their older brother took their mother and now they have to live without their mother.”

Deputies say the suspect hurt himself and was taken to the hospital. Once released, he will be charged with murder.

Collier’s husband says their son has no history of mental illness, and deputies say he has had no previous run-ins with the law.

A GoFundMe has been set up to help the family.

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