An Iowa woman has been arrested in connection with the death of a real estate agent nearly 15 years ago, whose killing sent shock waves across the state and rattled realtors, authorities said Wednesday.
Christine Ramsey was indicted by a grand jury on charges of first-degree murder in the April 8, 2011, killing of Ashley Oakland, West Des Moines Assistant Police Chief Jody Hayes told reporters.
“Ashley’s story keeps many of us up at night, going over the details in our minds, searching for that missing piece that ties it all together and leads us down the right path to identifying the hat of the man responsible for this act,” Hayes said.
Dallas County, Iowa, jail records show Ramsey, 53, was booked Tuesday and is being held in lieu of $2 million cash bail.
It was not immediately clear if she had an attorney to speak for her. A message to a phone number listed under the relative’s name was not immediately returned.
No other arrests are expected, Hayes said. Citing the judicial process, he declined to provide additional investigative details, including a possible motive or evidence that led to Ramsey’s arrest.
The killing in Oakland shook Iowa, Hayes said, and “a community of very nervous professional realtors that forever changed how they conduct open houses.”
Oakland, 27, was killed while working at an open house at a West Des Moines townhouse development, authorities said earlier.
Oakland was discovered after an employee of a development company was shot inside a model home, according to a case summary published by Iowa Cold Cases, a nonprofit organization that collects information on unsolved murders.
The employee dialed 911 and Oakland was later pronounced dead at a local hospital, according to the summary.
In a statement at a news conference, Oakland’s younger sister said she was missing her family “There is hope to find answers and get any justice for Ashley. It was really hard to accept that the case went cold.”
He thanked law enforcement and described their work on the case as “a true gift from God that we feel fortunate to touch.”
