Cold Case Breakthrough Leads to Murder Arrest After 15 Years

Arrest Made in Shocking Daylight Murder

Nearly 15 years after a young realtor was gunned down during an open house in broad daylight, West Des Moines police have arrested the woman they believe pulled the trigger. Kristin Ramsey, 53, was charged with first-degree murder in the death of 27-year-old Ashley Okland following a Dallas County grand jury indictment .

On April 8, 2011, authorities responded to a model townhouse around 2:00 p.m. and found Okland dead from two gunshot wounds inside the West Des Moines home. She was holding an open house there at the time . An employee working within the complex heard a commotion inside the townhome and went to investigate the cause of the noise. Upon entering the building, the worker found Okland on the floor and dialed 911 .

Ramsey is being held on a $2 million cash-only bond at the Dallas County Jail. No additional arrests are expected in the case .

Possible Connection Between Suspect and Crime Scene

While authorities have remained tight-lipped about the evidence that led to Ramsey's arrest, a potential connection has emerged. According to Ramsey's LinkedIn profile, she had been working for Rottlund Homes, the developer and owner of the townhomes in West Des Moines, where Okland, a realtor, was shot and killed . At the time of Okland's death, Ramsey worked as an administrative assistant and sales manager for Rottlund Homes, which was the developer of the townhome where Okland was killed .

To maintain the integrity of the judicial process, the West Des Moines Police Department is unable to release any additional investigative information regarding this case , officials stated during a Wednesday news conference. The West Des Moines Police Department told KCCI in 2025 that investigators had interviewed hundreds of people and reviewed more than a thousand leads in the case .

Family's Long Wait for Justice

For Okland's family, the arrest represents the end of a painful 15-year journey marked by dwindling hope. "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," Okland's sister, Brittany Bruce, told reporters . "Today is the day my family has thought about very often over the last fourteen years," said Josh Okland, Ashley's brother .

Josh Okland shared a particularly poignant memory from just hours before his sister's death. "April 7th, we spent the entire afternoon together. Her real estate career was booming, and she hired me to be her assistant to work on small stuff for her, make pamphlets. So we sat at Panera in Ankeny for four hours, and she was training me" . He said he noticed nothing unusual in the hours before her death. "If there was something going on, she would have told me" .

Impact on Real Estate Industry

Assistant Chief Jody Hayes believes Okland's broad daylight murder changed the real estate industry forever. "Ashley's story has haunted a very haunted community of professional realtors, who have forever changed how they hold open houses and conduct business" . Hayes spent half of his 30-year career with the department investigating this case .

The breakthrough came through the work of Attorney General Brenna Bird's Cold Case Investigative Unit. The unit was launched in 2024 to investigate over 400 cold cases across the state . Okland's case was featured on a series of cold case playing cards issued to Iowa prison inmates in 2024. The hope was that the cards would help remind inmates of information they might know and encourage them to come forward .

This arrest demonstrates that even the coldest cases can find resolution through persistent investigation and innovative approaches. As real estate professionals continue to adapt their safety practices in response to Okland's tragic death, her family finally has the possibility of justice they've waited nearly two decades to see.