Nearly 15 years after a young realtor was gunned down while hosting an open house in broad daylight, police say the case that haunted a community—and investigators—has finally broken.

West Des Moines police announced Tuesday the arrest of 53-year-old Kristin Elizabeth Ramsey, who now faces a charge of first-degree murder in the killing of 27-year-old Ashley Okland.

Okland was showing a model townhouse on Stone Creek Court on the afternoon of April 8, 2011, when the violence erupted. It was just after 2 p.m.—the kind of ordinary, quiet weekday moment that made the crime all the more shocking.

Authorities say Okland was shot twice inside the home.

A nearby employee with Rottlund Homes, the developer of the property, heard the disturbance and discovered Okland on the floor. She was rushed to Iowa Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines, where she later died.

The brazen nature of the killing—carried out in broad daylight, in a place meant to feel safe—sent shockwaves through the community and the real estate world. For years, the case remained unsolved, a lingering question mark that investigators refused to abandon.

Behind the scenes, detectives chased thousands of leads, sifted through countless pieces of evidence, and revisited the case again and again.

Assistant Police Chief Jody Hayes, who has worked the investigation since day one, described it as an “unrelenting pursuit of justice.”

“Ashley’s story has kept many of us awake at night,” Hayes said, recalling years spent searching for the missing piece that would finally identify the person responsible.

That breakthrough, officials say, has now arrived—but many details remain tightly held.

Ramsey was indicted by a Dallas County grand jury and taken into custody Tuesday. Authorities have not yet revealed what new evidence or developments led to the arrest.

At the time of the killing, Ramsey worked for Rottlund Homes as an administrative assistant and sales manager—the same company connected to the property where Okland was killed.

The connection has only deepened the sense of shock surrounding the arrest.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Iowa Realty said the company was relieved for Okland’s family after years of waiting.

“Her tragic passing was something that not only deeply impacted our company and community, but the national real estate world as a whole,” the statement read.

Ramsey is currently being held in the Dallas County Jail on a $2 million cash-only bond.

Even with the arrest, investigators made clear the case is not fully closed.

“As significant as this arrest is,” Hayes said, “our work is not done yet.”