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An Iowa woman has been taken into custody related to the long-unsolved murder of a local real estate agent.
The West Des Moines Police Department announced that 53-year-old Kristin Ramsey was arrested on Tuesday, charged with the first-degree murder of 27-year-old Ashley Okland.
Okland was discovered with two gunshot wounds on April 8, 2011, in a model home she was showing for Iowa Realty Co.
At the time of the murder, Ramsey was employed as an administrative assistant and sales manager for Rottlund Homes, the company that developed the townhouse where Okland was found, as reported by the Des Moines Register.
Okland’s case had stumped investigators for nearly 15 years, but authorities indicated on Wednesday that no additional arrests are expected.
Okland’s sister Brittany Bruce thanked officials for their years of dedication in seeking justice.
‘That Friday afternoon when Ashley was taken from us seems so long ago. We had lost our hope in finding answers and having any justice for Ashley,’ said Bruce.
‘It was really difficult to accept that the case had gone cold.’Â
After 15 years, a woman has been arrested for the cold case murder of 27-year-old Ashley Okland, who was an Iowa real estate agent. Okland died on April 8, 2011, inside a model townhome she was showcasing
Kristin Ramsey, 53, was arrested on Tuesday for first-degree murder. She was booked into the Dallas County Jail and is being held on a $2 million cash bond
Josh Okland, the real estate agent’s brother, also spoke and expressed a similar sentiment of gratitude to investigators.A spokesperson for Okland’s former employer, Iowa Reality Co., hailed the break in the case.
‘Everyone within Iowa Realty and related companies was relieved for the family of our friend and colleague Ashley Okland that an arrest was made for her murder,’ said the spokesperson to the Register.
‘Her tragic passing was something that not only deeply impacted our company and community, but the national real estate world as a whole.’Â
However, the organization said it was shocked to learn Ramsey is the suspect.
West Des Moines Assistant Police Chief Jody Hayes said Okland’s death has haunted the community for years.
‘Ashley’s story has kept many of us awake at night, revisiting the details over and over in our minds,’ said Hayes.
‘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.’
Okland was found critically injured after an employee at the model home she was showing heard a commotion and went to investigate.
At a press conference on Wednesday multiple speakers including his sister Brittany Bruce (pictured) shared how they are thankful for a break in the case after so many years
Okland’s brother, Josh praised investigators and noted they he was confident in prosecutors going forward with the case
West Des Moines Assistant Police Chief Jody Hayes noted how the case has loomed over the community’s head for years
He found her suffering from gunshot wounds and called 911 at around 2pm. She later died at Iowa Methodist Medical Center.
Despite the killing taking place in the middle of the day, the case went cold for more than 14 years.
According to a statement from an Iowa Realty spokesperson to the outlet Ramsey currently works for, Midland Title & Escrow, an organization that’s part of Iowa Realty Co., where Okland worked at the time of her death.Â
Ramsey was booked into the Dallas County Jail and is being held on a $2million cash bond.
The Daily Mail has reached out to the West Des Moines Police Department, Midland Title & Escrow, and Kristin Ramsey for comment.