Realtor's cold case murder finally solved after 15 years, police say
Iowa authorities have announced an arrest in the cold case murder of realtor Ashley Okland nearly 15 years after her death.
On Wednesday, officials revealed 53-year-old Kristin Elizabeth Ramsey, of Woodward, is charged with first-degree murder stemming from Okland’s death.
"Ashley's story has kept many of us awake at night, revisiting the details over and over in our minds," West Des Moines Assistant Police Chief Jody Hayes said in a press conference. "Searching for that missing piece that would tie everything together and lead us down the right path to identifying a person that was responsible for this act."
On April 8, 2011, the body of 27-year-old Ashley Okland was discovered inside a model townhome where authorities say she was hosting an open house. She had been shot twice.
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An employee working within the complex heard a commotion inside the townhome and went to investigate the cause of the noise, according to Crime Stoppers of Central Iowa. Upon entering the building, the worker found Okland on the floor and dialed 911.
At the time of Okland’s death, Ramsey worked as an administrative assistant and sales manager for Rottlund Homes, which was the developer of the townhome where Okland was killed, according to the Des Moines Register.
The case went unsolved for nearly 15 years.
The case rattled the Iowa community, with authorities revealing on the four-year anniversary of Okland’s death that nearly 900 leads had been investigated and approximately 500 people had been interviewed, the outlet reported.
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Officials did not provide details on what information led to Ramsey’s arrest.
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At a press conference on Thursday, Okland’s brother, Josh, thanked investigators for their unrelenting efforts on the case.
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"Today is a day my family has thought about very often over the last 14 years," Josh Okland said.
Ramsey’s arrest follows an indictment from a Dallas County grand jury. She is currently being held in the Dallas County Jail on $2 million cash bond.
"That Friday afternoon when Ashley was taken from us seems so long ago," Okland's sister, Brittany Bruce, told reporters on Thursday. "We had lost our hope in finding answers and having any justice for Ashley. It was really difficult to accept that the case had gone cold."
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She went on to express her gratitude to both the investigators and prosecutors handling her sister’s case.
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"We have full confidence in their abilities to see this through," she added.
The West Des Moines Police Department did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.