Family members seeking answers spoke at a news conference announcing a reward for information in the murder of an 81-year-old Woodland Hills woman who was stabbed, strangled and burned alive in August.
A $50,000 reward was announced Thursday for information in the murder of an 81-year-old woman who was found dead after she stabbed, strangled and set fire to her Woodland Hills home two months ago.
Ok Ja Kim was found in a room at her residence in the 20800 block of Martha Street at around 8 pm on August 2 by relatives. They were concerned after she failed to show up at a family event that night, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
Kim was stabbed, strangled and burned alive in an arson attack, authorities said.
In a September interview with NBCLA, her daughter Clara Kim described Ok Ja Kim as a kind mother who brought her daughters soup when they were sick. She was the grandmother who moved away just to be closer to her grandchildren.
Devastated family members were at a news conference Thursday when the reward was announced.
“You are paralyzed, you are in disbelief,” said Clara Kim, the victim’s daughter. “I mean, to this day we wake up and think this is all a dream.”
The nightmare lasts two months for Kim’s family. No arrests have been reported.
“We need your help,” Kim pleaded. “This was monstrous, this is disgusting and it needs to stop.
“This is the person who preys on the most vulnerable in our community.”
The brutal murder occurred during a robbery sometime between the night before Aug. 1 and the night of Aug. 2, police said. Investigators said they believe Kim was killed during an armed robbery.
“I can honestly say that in my entire career, I don’t think I have ever seen such a brutal and senseless act of murder,” LAPD Detective Sharon Kim said.
Los Angeles City Councilman Bob Blumenfield, who was also at the news conference when the reward was announced, called the crime a horrific murder.
“The likes that we haven’t seen in our community for a long, long time,” Blumenfield said. “And it was something that really shocked the community. Kim’s family, friends (and) community members are mourning, but also seeking answers and seeking justice.”
Ok Ja’s husband died last year, but she still looked forward to more trips and many more vacations and birthdays with friends and loved ones, family members said.
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.