SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA: The body of a woman identified as Kelly Brock Koike, 37, was found by a dog walker inside a duffel bag in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park on Sunday, officials and her mother reportedly confirmed.
The park was hosting the Outside Lands Music Festival which thousands of people were attending when the grisly discovery was made.
Who was Kelly Brock Koike?
The dog walker found the bag off a walkway and alerted the authorities. The San Francisco Police Department said they were treating the case as a homicide and did not provide any further details as of Wednesday.
Roya Koike, mother of the victim, said her daughter had mental health problems but was a “good girl.”
She told WAFB, “I know deep, deep down in her, without this part here [indicating her head], she’s a good girl. She has a messed-up here [indicating her head]. But she got killed?”
She also said her daughter was “knockout gorgeous” and “beautiful.”
Kelly had a passion for makeup and design
Kelly had a passion for makeup and design and graduated from culinary school. She worked as a concierge in San Francisco before becoming homeless.
Roya said she feared for her daughter’s safety on the streets and for her own safety when her daughter was home and not on her medication.
She spoke to the media from the Castro Valley house where Kelly grew up and lived until four years ago. She said, “Being homeless in the city, I knew something bad would happen.”
Kelly was half-Asian, but Roya did not think her death was related to the race. She told NBC, “I don’t think it’s a hate crime. I do know she would go to extremes from nothing … I think that’s most likely what happened.”
The grisly discovery of Kelly Brock Koike's body horrified neighbors
The neighbours near the scene of the crime were shocked and horrified by the discovery.
Michele Hunnewell, who lives close to where the body was found, told ABC7 News, “It’s a very sad, sad circumstance.” She said: “And, our neighbors … Everybody came out of the house because the officers were there. They had it all taped off. And people were just aghast. I mean, shocked!”
She added: “This isn’t that kind of neighborhood normally.” Megan Hiatt, another neighbor, learned about the incident from ABC7 on her morning jog.
She said, “I have a 12-year-old that I would normally be happy to let them wander through the park by themselves. So yeah, completely horrifying.”
