Alyssa was born in 1970. She grew up in an unstable home—not abusive, but inconsistent, the kind of environment that forged her independence early. Where She excelled in English, Civics, and Journalism electives in high school, but she clashed constantly with teachers who mistook her assertiveness for arrogance. This sharpened her edge, not dulled it. In May–June 1993, Alyssa began her career at the Raccoon Press, Freshly hired, Alyssa is paired with seasoned reporter Kurt, one of the few people who recognized both her raw skill and reckless bravery, he hired her to assist in his investigation of suspicious activities at a private hospital located in the remote northwestern Arklay Mountains. Their case quickly revealed a horrifying reality: an illegal drug-testing scheme secretly sponsored by the Umbrella Corporation. As they delved deeper into the shadowy conspiracy, tragedy struck. Kurt was viciously attacked and partially devoured by a monstrous patient, Dorothy Lester—the wife of hospital director Al Lester. Dorothy had been grotesquely transformed after her exposure to the experimental t-JCCC203 virus, a new bioweapon. The deeper they pushed, the stranger things became. Dorothy Lester, once a respected community figure, had turned into something unrecognizable. When she attacked, it was sudden, violent, and impossible by normal human standards. Kurt was mauled. In a desperate bid to conceal the horrifying incident, Dr. Greg Mueller, an Umbrella researcher deeply entangled in the corporate conspiracy, executed a chilling procedure that effectively wiped Alyssa's memories clean. She was left with only fragmented recollections of an "accident" that led to the hospital's abrupt closure. Despite the deliberate suppression of her memory, Ashcroft's instincts screamed that Umbrella's intentions in Raccoon City were anything but benevolent. The incident left a haunting sense of unease, though the fear of jeopardizing her burgeoning career held her back from going public with her findings. One lead quickly reignited her suspicion.

In 1994, Alyssa reported on extensive renovations at Raccoon University that were being fully sponsored by Umbrella. She also discovered that the same man she suspected of blocking her memories, Greg Mueller, had been promoted and relocated to lead research at this new university facility. Their brief interaction triggered a faint migraine and déjà vu. Alyssa wrote a standard public-facing report — but privately archived it in her own personal files, suspecting deeper motives. In October 1996, Alyssa covered a disturbing story about a heavily decomposed body discovered near the private hospital where Kurt had died. The body showed traces of unknown chemicals, leading Alyssa to suggest that a certain “corporation” was illegally dumping chemical waste into the Aimes River.

In June 1998, Alyssa received a critical tip about illegal activities at the Raccoon Zoo. The scandal implicated its director, Elliot Martin, in the illegal trafficking of protected plants destined for the Zoo's new Terrarium Dome. Alyssa had dined at the nearby Elephant Restaurant during the chaos and knew this was a significant revelation that could shake the community. However, she was not alone in her pursuit; the relentless investigative reporter Ben Bertolucci was hot on her heels, though Alyssa ultimately beat him to the scoop causing the two to he rival. September 8, 1998. In a separate, unrelated event, Alyssa also covered the robbery that occurred at MacLeed's Gun Shop, where Nathan Donnelly and Samuel Kirk stole cash and firearms.

Fast forward to the present day, on the fateful Tuesday of September 23, 1998. The T-Virus outbreak had begun, though its true severity had not yet reached the city center. Alyssa, unaware of the impending horror, made her way into Jack's Bar. Alyssa arrives at J’s Bar shortly after dusk. It’s been a brutal week of piecing scattered rumors together, She enters J’s Bar to write her next story. Getting a coffee and sitting at her usual booth near the back.