‘American Idol’ contestant’s murder case sent cops underground with high-powered magnet to find gun

Former “American Idol” contestant Caleb Flynn’s missing handgun sent investigators into storm drains with a high-powered magnet, underneath vehicles and through attic insulation as they searched for the weapon prosecutors allege he used to kill his wife.

Despite the extensive search, investigators never found the gun, a Tipp City detective testified Monday during Flynn’s murder trial in Ohio.

Flynn is accused of fatally shooting his wife, Ashley Flynn, inside the couple’s home on Feb. 16 before staging the scene to look like an intruder had broken in. He has pleaded not guilty to aggravated murder and other charges.

‘AMERICAN IDOL’ CONTESTANT’S 100K TEXTS WITH MISTRESS SHOW MOTIVE IN WIFE’S MURDER, PROSECUTORS SAY

Detective Adam Bernard walked jurors through the lengths investigators went to as they searched for the missing firearm in the days after Ashley’s death.

Caleb Flynn becomes emotional in court during his murder trial in Ohio. Flynn is accused of killing his wife, Ashley Flynn, in February 2026 and staging the scene to look like a break-in. (COURTESY: WKEF)

Police searched the backyard and nearby wooded areas before turning their attention underground, where investigators used a high-powered magnet to search storm drains along several streets.

‘AMERICAN IDOL’ CONTESTANT’S 100K TEXTS WITH MISTRESS SHOW MOTIVE IN WIFE’S MURDER, PROSECUTORS SAY

Bernard testified that investigators removed the drain covers, lowered the magnet inside and swept connecting pipes before he physically climbed into accessible culverts with a flashlight to search areas the magnet may have missed.

They found nothing.

‘AMERICAN IDOL’ CONTESTANT’S 100K TEXTS WITH MISTRESS SHOW MOTIVE IN WIFE’S MURDER, PROSECUTORS SAY

Investigators later had both vehicles from the Flynn home placed on lifts so they could search underneath them and other areas where something could have been hidden, Bernard testified. That search also came up empty.

Body camera footage shows Caleb Flynn bending down to vomit after his wife’s murder inside their home in Tipp City, Ohio on Feb. 16, 2026. (Tipp City Police Department)

Police even rented equipment to remove insulation from the attic as they continued looking for the gun.

‘AMERICAN IDOL’ CONTESTANT’S 100K TEXTS WITH MISTRESS SHOW MOTIVE IN WIFE’S MURDER, PROSECUTORS SAY

Bernard testified that investigators also tried to trace Flynn’s firearm purchase history after Flynn previously said he bought a gun in South Carolina, where he obtained his concealed-carry permit.

The detective said he called nearly two dozen gun stores in the state looking for records that could identify the make, model and serial number of a firearm purchased by Flynn.

‘AMERICAN IDOL’ CONTESTANT’S 100K TEXTS WITH MISTRESS SHOW MOTIVE IN WIFE’S MURDER, PROSECUTORS SAY

That effort did not identify a gun tied to Flynn or Ashley.

The testimony came after a forensic pathologist walked jurors through Ashley’s autopsy and described two gunshot wounds to the back of her head.

Tipp City mother of two found dead after reported home invasion; police use drones and K-9 units in search for suspect as community mourns tragic loss. (Ashley Flynn/Facebook)

‘AMERICAN IDOL’ CONTESTANT’S 100K TEXTS WITH MISTRESS SHOW MOTIVE IN WIFE’S MURDER, PROSECUTORS SAY

Dr. Bryan Casto testified that the entrance wounds overlapped and the bullets traveled through Ashley’s head on nearly parallel paths. One of the bullets exited her head before reentering her left arm near the elbow, where it was recovered during the autopsy.

Casto said the wounds and the paths of the bullets suggested Ashley was shot at close range, but he could not say exactly how far away the gun was when it was fired.

‘AMERICAN IDOL’ CONTESTANT’S 100K TEXTS WITH MISTRESS SHOW MOTIVE IN WIFE’S MURDER, PROSECUTORS SAY

The pathologist determined Ashley died from multiple gunshot wounds to the head.

Earlier Monday, Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation crime scene investigators walked jurors through evidence collected throughout the Flynn home as prosecutors sought to show the alleged break-in had been staged.

Ashley and Caleb Flynn in an undated photo with their two children. (GoFundMe)

‘AMERICAN IDOL’ CONTESTANT’S 100K TEXTS WITH MISTRESS SHOW MOTIVE IN WIFE’S MURDER, PROSECUTORS SAY

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A BCI crime scene technician who had examined between 20 and 30 forced-entry doors testified that the damage to a side garage door did not look like the forced entries she had previously investigated.

She said the damage was on the inside of the door rather than areas she would typically expect to be damaged if someone had kicked or pried their way inside.

Flynn’s defense challenged the state’s conclusions on cross-examination, pointing out that investigators could not determine when some of the door damage occurred and that no blood-spatter analysis was performed because conditions at the scene were not suitable for one.

Caleb Flynn in a 2013 “American Idol” Hometown Interview. Caleb is the husband of Ashley Flynn, who was shot and killed in her Ohio home on Monday, February 16, 2026. (YouTube/American Idol)

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David Hammond, a senior special agent with BCI, also testified that he was not aware of evidence showing blood spatter from Ashley’s shooting on Flynn’s clothing.

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The defense later pressed Bernard about tips received after the killing, including one from a caller who referenced an alleged “hit.”

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Bernard testified that he printed tips received by Tipp City police and passed them to the FBI for follow-up. He said he did not know whether the FBI investigated that particular tip.

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The judge sustained objections when the defense tried to get into some of the caller’s specific claims.

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Prosecutors also laid the groundwork Monday for the massive trove of messages they say Flynn exchanged with his mistress.

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Bernard testified that a search warrant served on Microsoft produced 107,655 lines of data associated with an email address belonging to Flynn.

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The records were admitted into evidence over a defense objection.