Authorities announced a $50,000 reward Friday, Oct. 20 for help in solving the killing of an 81-year-old woman who was found dead after being set on fire in her Woodland Hills home.
Ok Ja Kim was discovered in a bedroom at her residence in the 20800 block of Martha Street at about 8 p.m. on Aug. 2 by family members who were concerned after she failed to show up at a family function that evening, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
Kim died of “sharp and blunt force injuries with ligature strangulation,” the coroner’s office reported.
Police officers and Los Angeles Fire Department personnel discovered her burned in her bedroom, “which showed extensive signs of arson,” police said.
“The subsequent investigation revealed the victim was brutally murdered, having suffered sharp and blunt force injuries, and (was) strangled during a home invasion robbery sometime between the evening prior on August 1 … to the horrific discovery the next day,” police said.
The reward, offered by the city of Los Angeles, was announced at a Thursday morning news conference at the LAPD Operations Valley Bureau offices.
Los Angeles City Councilmember Bob Blumenfield called the crime a “horrific murder, the likes that we have not seen in our community for a very, very long time.”
“And it was something that really rocked the community to its core,” Blumenfield said. “Kim’s family, friends (and) community members are mourning, but also seeking answers, and seeking justice.”
Anyone with information on the case is urged to call LAPD Valley Bureau homicide detectives at 818-374-9550, or Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS.
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