23-year-old pregnant woman murdered on day she was to find out sex of her baby

OLATHE, Kan. -- (WDAF) -- The crime tape is still up around the Olathe home where a woman was found dead, and it's a sight that neighbors never thought they'd see in their community.

"It's very quiet," neighbor Ruthie Halvorson said. "A lot of elderly people, a lot of young families, but nothing like this."

Halvorson said silence is familiar in her Olathe neighborhood, which is what made Tuesday's events that much more surprising.

Olathe Police Sgt. Logan Bonney said around 4 p.m. Tuesday officers were called to a home in the 1200 block of East Westerfield Place, just minutes from Olathe North High School.

Bonney said when officers arrived, they found 23-year-old Ashley K. Harlan, who police said recently moved to Olathe from Manhattan, Kansas, dead inside the home. Police confirmed Thursday that not only was Harlan about 20 weeks pregnant, but she was also going to find out the sex of her baby on the day of her murder.

The woman's cause of death has not yet been determined, but police issued an update Wednesday that said her death has been classified as a homicide.

"I didn't hear a gunshot or anything," Halvorson said. "I would have assumed I would have heard something. Didn't hear anything. Didn't see anything. All of a sudden just a bunch of cops showed up."

Cheri Hoffmann has lived in the neighborhood for more than 10 years. She said the owner of the home has been out of town.