Arrest made in death of Iowa real estate agent who was killed during an open house in 2011
An Iowa woman has been arrested in connection with the death of a real estate agent whose killing nearly 15 years ago sent shockwaves across the state and haunted real estate agents, authorities said Wednesday.
Kristin Ramsey was indicted by a grand jury on first-degree murder charges in the April 8, 2011, killing of Ashley Okland, West Des Moines Deputy Police Chief Jody Hayes told reporters.
“Ashley’s story kept many of us up at night, revisiting the details over and over in our minds, looking for the missing piece that would tie it all together and lead us on the right path to identifying the person responsible for this act,” Hayes said.
Dallas County, Iowa, jail records show Ramsey, 53, was booked into jail Tuesday and is being held on $2 million cash bail.
It was not immediately clear whether she had an attorney to speak on her behalf. A message left at a phone number listed under the name of a relative was not immediately returned.
No further arrests are expected, Hayes said. He declined to provide additional details about the investigation, including a possible motive or the evidence that led to Ramsey’s arrest, citing the legal process.
Okland’s murder shocked Iowa, Hayes said, and “haunted a very frightened community of professional real estate agents who forever changed the way they do open houses.”
Okland, 27, was killed while working at an open house at a townhouse development in West Des Moines, officials previously said.
Okland was found by a development company employee after she was shot at a model home, according to a summary of the case released by Iowa Cold Cases, a nonprofit organization that compiles information on unsolved murders.
The employee called 911 and Okland was later pronounced dead at a local hospital, according to the summary.
In a statement at the press conference, Okland’s younger sister said her family had lost “I hope to find answers and get justice for Ashley. It was really difficult to accept that the case was not pursued.”
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.”
