Ashley Yamauchi, a 33-year-old mother and nanny from Greenbrae, California, was sexually assaulted and killed behind a downtown San Rafael bar on the night of December 15, 2008. Her body was found the next morning in a parking lot on the 700 block of Fourth Street, and her death was ruled a homicide by asphyxiation. No one has ever been arrested or charged. A $50,000 reward remains active for information leading to an arrest and conviction.
What Happened the Night of December 15, 2008
Yamauchi spent the evening at the Fourth Street Tavern, 711 Fourth Street in downtown San Rafael. Around 11:30 p.m., she was last seen leaving through the bar’s back door with an unidentified man she had met inside.1KTVU. Family of Woman Slain in San Rafael 13 Years Ago Fights for Justice At about 7:30 a.m. on December 16, her body was found in the parking lot behind the tavern, wedged between a parked car and a chain-link fence.2SFGate. Body Found in San Rafael Identified as Woman, 33 She was unclothed from the waist down, and preliminary tests indicated she had been sexually assaulted.3ABC7 News. Ashley Yamauchi Murder Investigation
San Rafael police described a “very violent crime scene” and said Yamauchi had sustained numerous injuries, indicating she fought hard against her attacker.4True Crime News. $50K Reward Offered in San Rafael Cold Case Murder of Ashley Yamauchi The cause of death was asphyxiation. Investigators would not specify the mechanism, would not confirm whether strangulation was involved, and would not comment on whether DNA had been recovered at the scene.5Marin Independent Journal. New Details, Reward in Woman’s Murder in San Rafael
Who Ashley Yamauchi Was
Yamauchi grew up in San Mateo and Foster City, later lived in San Francisco, and settled in Greenbrae in Marin County.6East Bay Times. Ashley Yamauchi Obituary She worked as a nanny for a San Rafael family and had an eight-year-old daughter, who after Ashley’s death went into the care of the child’s father, John Griffin.7SFGate. Memorial for Ashley Yamauchi of Greenbrae
She was days away from a major move at the time she was killed. She had plans to relocate to New York, live with a friend, and attend aesthetician school.5Marin Independent Journal. New Details, Reward in Woman’s Murder in San Rafael Her brother, Heath Yamaguchi, recalled helping their mother, Dolly Yamauchi, assist Ashley with packing two weeks before her death.4True Crime News. $50K Reward Offered in San Rafael Cold Case Murder of Ashley Yamauchi
What Investigators Found
By March 2009, San Rafael detectives had interviewed roughly 50 associates and bar patrons, reviewed electronic message transcripts, and conducted surveillance outside Marin County without identifying a suspect.5Marin Independent Journal. New Details, Reward in Woman’s Murder in San Rafael Lieutenant Raffaello Pata, the lead investigator, called it “a marathon; it’s not a sprint.”
DNA evidence was collected at the scene, but exposure to rain made initial testing inconclusive. Pata said the department kept resubmitting physical evidence as forensic technology improved.4True Crime News. $50K Reward Offered in San Rafael Cold Case Murder of Ashley Yamauchi By 2011, cold case specialists and criminal profilers had been brought in, but the DNA still had not produced an identifiable suspect.8Patch. Police Request Help After 3-Year Anniversary of Unsolved Murder
Persons of Interest
Police have never publicly named a suspect. Pata disclosed that his focus narrowed over the years to at least three individuals. Detectives previously questioned the father of Yamauchi’s daughter, her boyfriend Parker Harper, and the unidentified man she left the bar with. No charges were filed against any of them.4True Crime News. $50K Reward Offered in San Rafael Cold Case Murder of Ashley Yamauchi
Pata told reporters he believed police had already spoken with the killer: “I think the person that did this has sat where you’re sitting and we’ve had a conversation. I can’t prove it, which is why this case has gone no farther, at this point, but I just have this sick feeling that we may have talked to this person.” He also said people who had been at the Fourth Street Tavern the night of the killing stopped cooperating with police and requested legal representation.4True Crime News. $50K Reward Offered in San Rafael Cold Case Murder of Ashley Yamauchi
The $50,000 Reward and How to Submit a Tip
In December 2010, then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger approved a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible. San Rafael Police Chief Matthew C. Odetto had requested the reward and was required to confirm in writing that all investigative leads had been pursued. Support from the Yamauchi family was also part of the process. Under California’s Governor’s Reward Program, such rewards do not expire and are paid only upon an actual arrest and conviction.9CBS News San Francisco. Schwarzenegger Offers $50,000 Reward in 2008 San Rafael Murder
Anyone with information can reach the San Rafael Police Department at (415) 485-3000, call the dedicated tip line at (415) 458-2399, or email FindAshleysKiller@SRPD.org. Anonymous tips can also be submitted through the SRPD website.10Patch. San Rafael Mom Murdered 10 Years Ago, $50K Reward Offered