OK Sun Kim West, a 20 year old Korean immigrant, was a mother of two children.

She was recently-divorced from her husband, of a US Air Force service member and she worked as a waitress at the House of Chan. Being a Korean immigrant, Ok Sun Kim naturally gravitated towards the people she was used to. She was a part of a Korean community in Callaway, FL that often met up for events. Unfortunately, not much additional information is available about who OK Sun was as a person prior to her death, or about the life she lived.

OK Sun’s trailer bursts into flames; her body is found inside.

On the morning of March 29, 1982, OK Sun’s trailer home in Callaway, FL caught on fire. Once the fire was extinguished, firefighters found OK Sun’s body inside the living room of the home, sitting on a couch. When they attempted to move her body, they quickly realized that the couch was soaked in blood and that her throat had been slit.

The investigation begins.

Once their investigation began, authorities determined that OK Sun had been killed at approximately 5:00 am. Investigators immediately turned to her ex-husband, James West, hoping for answers. He claimed to be at work at 5:45 a.m. which was an hour and twenty five minutes earlier than normal.

Additionally, shortly after OK Son’s death, investigators spoke with a newspaper delivery man who claimed to have seen a white van parked just outside of the trailer park. Footprints were found leading from inside the trailer park to where the van would have been parked.

At James’ home, they found his van, which is allegedly similar to the van the newspaper delivery man saw on the morning of OK Sun’s death. When they asked to see any of his sneakers, he informed them that he did not own any. When James was given a polygraph, the results were inconclusive.

Where the case stands today.

It has been more than 40 years since OK Son’s death. Investigators believe that James West is responsible for OK Sun’s death, and consider the possibility that his new wife, Monica, a former friend of OK Sun, may have played a role as well. According to those who knew OK Sun, James, and Monica, they learned that local Korean women disliked and were “deathly afraid” of her.

Today, OK Son Kim West’s case remains a cold case and investigators continue to wait on the one tip needed to solve her case and bring some form of peace to her family. If you have any information, please contact Panhandle Crime Stoppers at (850) 785-TIPS (8477) or the Bay County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 747-4700.