SAN RAFAEL, Calif. — Then-California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger approved the offer of a $50,000 reward in the Ashley Yamauchi homicide — which officials hope will provide new information that will lead to an arrest — a statement issued by the San Rafael Police Department in December 2010, said.

The partially clad body of Yamauchi was found in the parking lot behind the Fourth Street Tavern at 711 Fourth St. in San Rafael on Dec. 16, 2008.

Yamauchi, 33, had been sexually assaulted and died of asphyxiation, the statement said. She was the mother of an 8-year-old daughter.

Yamauchi was in the Tavern the previous evening watching Monday Night Football and was last seen alive as she left through the back door with a man she met at the bar, the statement said. A downtown business owner discovered her body the next morning.

The San Rafael police have been working on this case for more than two years. While DNA evidence was obtained, it has not yet led to an identifiable suspect.
In November, the police department, with the assistance of Assemblymember Jared Huffman’s office, applied for a reward through the California Governor’s Reward Program. The purpose of the program is to assist law enforcement in specific crimes where additional information could lead to the successful resolution of the case. The reward is paid if the information provided leads to the arrest and conviction in a California court of the individual or individuals charged with the crime.

“I am very pleased to see that the governor’s office has offered a reward of $50,000,” said Huffman, who added “I hope that the reward will help bring Ashley Yamauchi’s killer to justice and in doing so provide closure for the family.”

Anyone with information is asked to call the Ashley Yamauchi Tip Line at (415) 458-2399
or e-mail FindAshleysKiller@srpd.org.