Francisco Merino Ojeda: Arrest In Unsolved Murder Of Reno Preschool Teacher Kyla Annan


Francisco Merino Ojeda has been arrested in the cold case murder of Reno, Nevada, preschool teacher Kyla Annan, a woman who was found strangled and sexually assaulted more than 10 years ago. The Elko Daily Free Press is reporting now that 32-year-old Francisco Merino Ojeda was taken into custody in California and charged with murder. He is expected to be extradited back to Nevada.

Kyla Annan’s brutal death made news in 2004 after her body was found in her home in Reno. Her boyfriend made the discovery and alerted police. Reno police arrived at the home located at 624 Quincy Street where they found the partially decomposing body of a single, white female. The victim was identified as 28-year-old Kyla Annan. As police processed the scene they noted that Annan had been surprised by the attacker.

An autopsy report concluded that the young teacher had been sexually assaulted and strangled. A follow-up article in 2005 by RGJ.com stated that cleaning rags and household cleaning products were out in the open, which suggested that Kyla Annan was in the middle of cleaning her apartment, when someone most likely climbed into an open window and sexually assaulted her.

In 2004, Kyla Annan was living in a small home on Quincy Street in Reno, Nevada. She worked at the Golden Goose Preschool in the same city. She enjoyed living in her home alone but often spent time with her boyfriend. The house was located in a shady neighborhood filled with transients and drug and alcohol abusers and also sat close to a temp service that contracted day laborers. The neighborhood’s unsavory makeup didn’t bother Kyla Annan. She was a free spirit who was known to leave her windows open for fresh air. She loved her job working with the kids and often spent time in her garden. Kyla was a friendly, lovely woman by all accounts.

Kyla Annan Cold Case Timeline

September 13, 2004: An intruder enters Kyla Annan’s home and begins to undress. He is chased out of the home by Annan’s boyfriend who is staying at the house.

September 18, 2004: Kyla Annan checks her cell phone voice mail.

September 21, 2004: Neighbors see Kyla Annan working in her beautiful garden. She looks happy and content. At 7 p.m. that same night, Kyla covers her bird’s cage.

September 23, 2004: Kyla Annan’s boyfriend finds her dead body. Police actively look for the suspect. They check the DNA of over 100 men in the area that could be possible suspects. The case eventually goes cold.

In January, 2015, police receive a tip that points them to a Hispanic-Latino man named Francisco Merino Ojeda. The DNA is a match to evidence found at the scene. Ojeda is arrested and charged with murder.

Though the case went cold for more than 10 years, Kyla Annan’s parents never gave up hope that the killer would be found. Kyla Annan was their only child. In 1986, preschool teacher and owner, Christy Koerner, was brutally murdered. Her ex husband confessed to the murder.

[Photo Credit: YouTube]

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