Dateline NBC spotlights murder of Collingwood’s Ashley Schwalm in two-hour special

The story of a Collingwood-area mother whose murder made international headlines is getting renewed attention as Dateline NBC airs a two-hour special on the murder of 40-year-old Ashley Schwalm.

A story that rattled the ski community and gripped the country.

The episode looks back at the January 2023 crime that left Ontario’s ski region reeling. Dateline correspondent Andrea Canning — who grew up in the area and once worked at ‘The New VR,’ now CTV News Barrie — returned home for the feature, describing the story as one that struck especially close to her.

Producers spent a week across Simcoe County gathering interviews with investigators, friends, family and others closely connected to the case.

“We’re talking to a lot of different people, family, colleagues of Jamie, friends, law enforcement, the OPP - some from the Collingwood detachment, and the lead investigator who is based in Orillia,” Canning said.

The Dateline correspondent also spoke with CTV News videographer Mike Arsalides, who covered the trial extensively and shared what he witnessed inside the courtroom and how it impacted the community as new details emerged.

“It’s just bizarre to have everyone calling you, ‘Hey there’s been a murder, there’s been a murder in Collingwood,” Canning told Arsalides. “The family now is using this to try to help fight domestic violence.”

Canning said the family started raising money in Ashley’s name by donating to My Friend’s House, a domestic violence shelter in Collingwood. “And that’s something my family has donated to for years - to My Friend’s House, which makes it even more strange,” Canning added. “This is something we’ve donated to but never really knew anybody that was affected until now.”

The Dateline special walks viewers through the investigative work that uncovered the grisly details of what happened to Ashley and the sequence of events that led to the arrest and eventual conviction of her husband, former Brampton fire captain James Schwalm. He pleaded guilty to second-degree murder last summer and was sentenced earlier this year to life in prison with no chance of parole for 20 years.

Ashley’s death, followed by a staged crash and an arson meant to destroy evidence, stunned the community. Police found the burned vehicle on Jan. 26, 2023, along Arrowhead Road near Highway 26 in The Blue Mountains. Court heard that Schwalm strangled his wife, dressed her in hiking clothes, placed her in the car and attempted to make her death look accidental before setting the vehicle on fire.

During sentencing, the judge called Schwalm’s actions a profound betrayal of trust and “completely appallingly at odds” with his responsibilities as a firefighter. The court also heard about financial motives, a troubled marriage and online searches related to alimony, deleting digital history and fire-starting techniques. Schwalm apologized in court, saying he is haunted by what he did.

The couple had lived in Collingwood with their two young children, who have no contact with their father under the terms of the sentence.

Dateline’s two-hour special on the case airs Friday at 9 p.m. on NBC and becomes available Saturday on Crave.

With files from CTV’s Justin Rydell and CTV’s Mike Arsalides