Man accused of killing girlfriend, leaving her child alone for days

A 20-year-old Far East Side man is being held on a $1 million bond after being charged with murder in connection with the death of a 46-year-old woman in Reynoldsburg and leaving her child to fend for himself.

The body of 46-year-old Susan Ramberg was found inside the trunk of her car in the garage of her home on the 500 block of Rosehill Road in Reynoldsburg. Police had gone to Ramberg’s home around 2:20 p.m. Friday for a well-being check.

Franklin County Municipal Court records show 20-year-old Kandawaswikia Kahiri is accused of killing Ramberg on March 2.

According to court records, Kahiri’s father had called police on Friday to ask them to check on Ramberg. Kahiri’s father reportedly told officers that Kahiri had said Ramberg “may be deceased” but wouldn’t give his father any other details.

When officers got to Ramberg’s home, they went inside and found her 10-year-old son alone. The child told officers he had last seen his mother about a week before.

Court records said the child said he had seen his mom go out to the home’s garage when the boy had gone upstairs to get ready for bed. Kahiri, who the boy called “Kanda” and said was his mom’s boyfriend, had come over around the same time.

“When he woke up, his mother was lying dead on the couch,” court records said.

The boy told police he and Kahiri had “made a bed” for Ramberg in the trunk of her car and that Kahiri had checked on the boy several times in the days after Ramberg’s death, even bringing him food.

An autopsy was conducted by the Franklin County Coroner’s office and, according to court records, preliminary autopsy information indicated Ramberg had been strangled.

During a court appearance Monday morning, Kahiri’s bond was set at $1 million. He was ordered to have no contact with Ramberg’s family or her child as a condition of his bond. bbruner@dispatch.com @bethany_bruner