OKLAHOMA CITY – A suspicious death in late 2025 is now being ruled a homicide, and the suspect police have charged with the crime was found already in jail.
On December 9th, 2025, police responded to reports of a woman found dead in her house in the 1800 block of NW 9th Street in OKC’s Metro Park area.
She was identified as 85-year-old Ina Balch.
At the time, Balch’s death was ruled as “suspicious,” leading to OKCPD detectives to launch an investigation, examining bruising, internal bleeding, and DNA found at the scene.
That investigation resulted in the death being officially ruled a homicide this year, and resulted in detectives seeking 33-year-old Cordell Wilson as a suspect.
Wilson was found already in custody at the Oklahoma County Detention Center, awaiting trial for unrelated charges.
He has now been charged additionally on counts of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, two counts of rape by instrumentation, and sexual abuse of a vulnerable adult, all in connection with Balch’s death.
Cordell Wilson is being held on a $10 million bond.
As the case was not ruled a homicide until this year, Ina Balch’s death will now be recorded as the 17th homicide for Oklahoma City in 2026.
Note: As of publication, any information or claims made by law enforcement have not yet been tested in court. Under the law, all persons are considered innocent until proven guilty before a jury of their peers or a plea of guilt.
Brett Fieldcamp is the owner and Editor in Chief of Oklahoma City Free Press. He has been covering arts, entertainment, news, housing, and culture in Oklahoma for nearly two decades and served as Arts & Entertainment Editor before purchasing the company from founder Brett Dickerson in 2026.
He is also a musician and songwriter and holds a certification as Specialist of Spirits from The Society of Wine Educators.
