Realtor's cold case murder finally solved after 15 years, police say

Iowa authorities person announced an apprehension successful the acold lawsuit execution of realtor Ashley Okland astir 15 years aft her death. 

On Wednesday, officials revealed 53-year-old Kristin Elizabeth Ramsey, of Woodward, is charged with first-degree execution stemming from Okland’s death. 

"Ashley's communicative has kept galore of america awake astatine night, revisiting the details implicit and implicit successful our minds," West Des Moines Assistant Police Chief Jody Hayes said successful a property conference. "Searching for that missing portion that would necktie everything unneurotic and pb america down the close way to identifying a idiosyncratic that was liable for this act." 

On April 8, 2011, the assemblage of 27-year-old Ashley Okland was discovered wrong a exemplary townhome wherever authorities accidental she was hosting an unfastened house. She had been changeable twice.

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Ashley Okland was discovered wrong a exemplary townhome wherever authorities accidental she was hosting an unfastened location successful West Des Moines, Iowa connected April 8, 2011. (Crime Stoppers of Central Iowa)

An worker moving wrong the analyzable heard a commotion wrong the townhome and went to analyse the origin of the noise, according to Crime Stoppers of Central Iowa. Upon entering the building, the idiosyncratic recovered Okland connected the level and dialed 911. 

At the clip of Okland’s death, Ramsey worked arsenic an administrative adjunct and income manager for Rottlund Homes, which was the developer of the townhome wherever Okland was killed, according to the Des Moines Register.

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Kristin Elizabeth Ramsey, 53, was arrested and charged with first-degree execution successful West Des Moines, Iowa connected Tuesday, March 17, 2026.  (Dallas County Jail)

The lawsuit went unsolved for astir 15 years. 

The lawsuit rattled the Iowa community, with authorities revealing connected the four-year day of Okland’s decease that astir 900 leads had been investigated and astir 500 radical had been interviewed, the outlet reported.

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Ashley Okland's sedate tract successful the Fjeldberg Cemetery adjacent Huxley, Iowa connected Thursday, April 8, 2021. (Zach Boyden-Holmes/The Register via Imagn Content Services, LLC)

Officials did not supply details connected what accusation led to Ramsey’s arrest. 

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At a property league connected Thursday, Okland’s brother, Josh, thanked investigators for their unrelenting efforts connected the case.

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"Today is simply a time my household has thought astir precise often implicit the past 14 years," Josh Okland said. 

Ashley Okland's siblings Josh Okland and Brittany Bruce talk aft the apprehension of Kristin Ramsey successful the 2011 shooting decease of their sister astatine the West Des Moines Police Department connected March 18, 2026.  (Zach Boyden-Holmes/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

Ramsey’s apprehension follows an indictment from a Dallas County expansive jury. She is presently being held successful the Dallas County Jail connected $2 cardinal currency bond.

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"That Friday day erstwhile Ashley was taken from america seems truthful agelong ago," Okland's sister, Brittany Bruce, told reporters connected Thursday. "We had mislaid our anticipation successful uncovering answers and having immoderate justness for Ashley. It was truly hard to judge that the lawsuit had gone cold." 

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She went connected to explicit her gratitude to some the investigators and prosecutors handling her sister’s case.

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"We person afloat assurance successful their abilities to spot this through," she added. 

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The West Des Moines Police Department did not instantly respond to Fox News Digital’s petition for comment.