Police in West Des Moines, Iowa, say they have solved the 2011 killing of realtor Ashley Okland, announcing the arrest of a 53-year-old woman in the nearly 15-year-old cold case.
Authorities identified the suspect as Kristin Elizabeth Ramsey of Woodward, who has been charged with first-degree murder and booked into the Dallas County Jail on a $2 million cash-only bond.
Police said Ramsey was taken into custody after a Dallas County grand jury returned an indictment in connection with Okland's death. Officials have not released details about what new evidence or information led to the arrest, according to Fox News.
Okland, 27, was a real estate agent holding an open house at a model townhome in West Des Moines on Apr. 8, 2011, when she was shot twice inside the property.
An employee working in the complex heard a disturbance, went to check on the unit, and found Okland on the floor before calling 911. She was pronounced dead shortly afterward, and the case remained unsolved for years despite extensive investigation, CBS2 Iowa reported.
West Des Moines police and prosecutors announced the arrest at a news conference this week, calling it a major development in a case that had long weighed on the department and the local community.
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Assistant Police Chief Jody Hayes said investigators had spent years revisiting the evidence, looking for the missing piece that would identify a suspect. Police leaders did not describe any prior relationship between Ramsey and Okland and said they are not yet sharing information about a possible motive.
Members of Okland's family spoke publicly after the announcement, expressing relief that someone had been charged after nearly 15 years. Her sister, Brittany Bruce, said the family had begun to lose hope that there would ever be answers or justice.
Her brother, Josh Okland, thanked investigators for their persistence and said the day of the arrest was one his family had imagined many times since 2011.
Authorities stressed that Ramsey is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court, and the case will now move forward through the Iowa judicial system, as per ABC7 Chicago.
