An Iowa woman was arrested in connection with the death of a real estate agent whose killing nearly 15 years ago sent shock waves through the state and haunted realtors, authorities said Wednesday.
Kristin Ramsey was indicted by a grand jury on a charge of first-degree murder in the April 8, 2011, killing of Ashley Okland, West Des Moines Assistant Police Chief Jody Hayes told reporters.
“Ashley’s story has kept many of us awake at night, revisiting details over and over in our minds, searching for that missing piece that would tie everything together,” Hayes said.
Dallas County, Iowa, jail records show Ramsey, 53, was booked Tuesday and is being held in lieu of $2 million cash bail.
It was not immediately clear if she has a lawyer to speak on her behalf. A message left on a phone number listed under a relative’s name was not immediately returned.
No other arrests are expected, Hayes said. He declined to provide additional investigative details, including a possible motive or what evidence led to Ramsey’s arrest, citing the the judicial process.
Okland’s killing shocked Iowa, Hayes said, and “haunted a very frightened community of professional realtors who have forever changed how they conduct open houses.”
Okland, 27, was killed while working at an open house in a West Des Moines townhouse development, officials have previously said.
Okland was found by an employee of the development company after she was shot inside a model home, according to a summary of the case published by Iowa Cold Cases, a nonprofit organization that compiles information on unsolved killings.
The employee dialed 911 and Okland was later pronounced dead at a local hospital, according to the summary.
According to her obituary, Okland became an agent with Iowa’s largest real estate firm, Iowa Realty, in 2010.
Iowa Realty did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday. In a statement to local station WOI-TV Wednesday, the company said that it was relieved for Okland’s family but shocked at the arrest of Ramsey, whom the statement identified as an employee of one its businesses, Midland Title & Escrow.
Ramsey began working for the company several months after Okland was killed, according to the statement.
“Along with everyone in our community, we are understandably stunned,” the company said.
In a statement during the news conference, Okland’s younger sister said her family had lost “hope in finding answers and having any justice for Ashley. It was really difficult to accept that the case had gone cold.”
She thanked law enforcement and described their work on the case “as a true gift from God that we feel fortunate to be touched by.”
