SAN FRANCISCO—A deceased woman was found inside of a duffle bag on Sunday, August 13, at Golden Gate Park which was holding the Outside Lands Music Festival. Her body was discovered at 7:24 p.m. as the three-day event was concluding. The victim has been identified as Kelly Koike, 37, of San Francisco. A cause of death has yet to be determined.
San Francisco Police responded to Fulton and 22nd Avenue after being notified about the body by a dog walker who first encountered the duffle bag. Medical examiner’s personnel and homicide investigators also arrived to investigate the scene.
Officers established a barrier around the vegetated area with police tape where Koike’s body was found. The investigation attracted onlookers from the music festival which reportedly had 225,000 people at the event. Investigators did not clear the scene until Monday, August 14, at around 5:30 a.m.
The Standard spoke with the deceased’s mother Roya Koike, and she explained that her daughter was diagnosed with schizophrenia, catatonia and bipolar disorder which she had been experiencing since her teenage years. She had graduated from culinary school and worked as a concierge in San Francisco who also had a passion for cosmetics and design. Her mental illness prevented her from fully realizing her ambitions explained her mother.
Koike was experiencing homelessness after she was evicted from a residential hotel in the summer of 2019 due to aggressive episodes. Her mother expressed her concerns over her daughter’s safety and her reluctance to seek treatment. She offered Koike and her husband Joseph Brock a place to stay at her home in Castro Valley only if she took the medication she was prescribed.
The deceased’s mother also feared for her own safety when her daughter was not on her medication. She eventually filed for eviction and a stay-away order against her daughter after she was seen burning furniture in the front lawn. This occurred in September of 2019 just months after she was evicted from a residential hotel. Koike was her only child.
The San Francisco News contacted Roya for more information but she declined an interview.
The investigation led by SFPD is underway. Officials are investigating her death as a homicide and no arrests have been made.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the San Francisco Police Department’s 24-hour Tip Line at 1-415-575-4444 or Text a Tip to TIP411 and begin the text message with SFPD.
