Ashley Okland case remains unsolved 10 years after murder
April 8, 2011, is the day realtor Ashley Okland was found murdered inside a townhome she was showing. Police are still searching for answers. Author: Jon Diaz (WOI), Hollie Schlesselman Published: 7:24 PM CDT April 8, 2021 Updated: 10:53 PM CDT April 8, 2021
WEST DES MOINES, Iowa Ten years has gone by and it seems like yesterday.
For Sheri McMichael, the Ashley Okland Star Playground at Ewing Park is a special place.
Ten years ago on April 8, realtor Ashley Okland, 27, was found murdered at an open house she was hosting in West Des Moines.
McMichael worked with Ashley at Variety, and after Ashley s death, McMichael put up the playground in her honor.
Police say Ashley Okland s murder investigation is still active 10 years later
The 27-year-old real estate agent was shot and killed while holding an open house in a West Des Moines townhome. Share Updated: 10:25 PM CDT Apr 7, 2021
Police say Ashley Okland s murder investigation is still active 10 years later
The 27-year-old real estate agent was shot and killed while holding an open house in a West Des Moines townhome. Share Updated: 10:25 PM CDT Apr 7, 2021
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Show Transcript THIS IS IOWA’S NEWS LEADER, KCCI 8 NEWS AT 10:00. STACEY: TOMORROW MARKS TEN YEARS SINCE REAL ESTATE AGENT ASHLEY OKLAND WAS MURDERED IN WEST DES MOINES AND THE CASE REMAINS UNSOLVED. KCCI’S LAURA TERRELL HAS COVERED THIS CASE SINCE THE BEGINNING. STEVE: TONIGHT SHE HAS THE LATEST ON THE DECADE-LONG SEARCH FOR THE KILLER. I’M 30 NOW, SO I’VE LIVED A THIRD OF MY LIFE NOW SINCE THAT HAPPENED. LAURA: ASHLEY OKLAND’S BROTHER JOSH MET WITH US INSID
Ashley Okland was 27 when the real estate agent was killed on April 8, 2011, in West Des Moines.
Okland was an employee of Iowa Realty Co., and had been showing a model townhouse when she was killed.
A Rottlund Homes employee had heard a commotion inside the model townhouse at 558 Stone Creek Court, and when the employee went inside to investigate, they found Okland on the floor, shot twice, according to IowaColdCases.org.
Medics rushed Okland to the Iowa Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines, where she later died.
The case remains unsolved.
Who was Ashley Okland?
Okland was born Dec. 30, 1983, in Ames, Iowa, according to her obituary. She grew up in Huxley. As a youth, she was involved in sports, dance, 4-H and piano. She attended Ballard High School. She graduated from Iowa State University in 2006 after transferring from the University of Iowa.
2012: Lyric Cook-Morrissey and Elizabeth Collins (Evansdale)
Cousins Lyric, 10, and Elizabeth, 8, were abducted while riding their bikes in Evansdale in Black Hawk County on July 13, 2012. Their bodies were later found in rural Bremer County, about 25 miles away.
No suspects have ever been publicly identified, and no arrests have been made. A $50,000 reward still is offered in the case.
1995: Jodi Huisentruit (Mason City)
A renewed probe by Iowa private investigator Steve Ridge, a former journalist and TV news executive, has led to several developments in recent years. Notably, Ridge says he has provided investigators with details of previously unknown evidence that had been destroyed by a suspect in the case. He has not publicly named the suspect or revealed the nature of the evidence.
2012: Lyric Cook-Morrissey and Elizabeth Collins (Evansdale)
Cousins Lyric, 10, and Elizabeth, 8, were abducted while riding their bikes in Evansdale in Black Hawk County on July 13, 2012. Their bodies were later found in rural Bremer County, about 25 miles away.
No suspects have ever been publicly identified, and no arrests have been made. A $50,000 reward still is offered in the case.
1995: Jodi Huisentruit (Mason City)
A renewed probe by Iowa private investigator Steve Ridge, a former journalist and TV news executive, has led to several developments in recent years. Notably, Ridge says he has provided investigators with details of previously unknown evidence that had been destroyed by a suspect in the case. He has not publicly named the suspect or revealed the nature of the evidence.