San Francisco tech worker, 27, found dead in case investigated as domestic violence: reports

A 27-year-old San Francisco tech worker has been found dead inside the apartment she shared with her boyfriend in what homicide cops are investigating as possible domestic violence, according to reports.

Kimberly Wong was found unresponsive about 7 p.m. Thursday as police conducted a welfare check at her apartment in Presidio Heights, the San Francisco Standard reported.

Officers and medics were unable to revive Wong, who was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

Homicide officers are investigating it as a domestic violence case, the Standard said, which a police source also confirmed to KTVU.

“We’re hoping for an arrest,” Beverly Upton, head of the San Francisco Domestic Violence Consortium, told the Standard. “This is a tragedy.”

Police Sgt. Kathryn Winters would only tell the Standard that it was “an open homicide investigation.”

“We are not offering comment on this in order to protect the integrity of the investigation,” Winters said.

No arrests have been made, and the Standard said it was unable to reach the man she lived with for comment.

Two neighbors, who asked not to be named, told the outlet they knew Wong and the man lived together but weren’t close with either of them.

The young woman was a product designer at Plaid, a San Francisco-based payment site that connects customers’ financial accounts with apps or other online services, according to her LinkedIn account.

“We are devastated at the news of Kim’s passing,” the company told SFGATE in a statement.

“She was smart, talented, positive, and a valued member of our team who made an impact on everyone who worked with her. Our thoughts and deepest condolences go out to her family and her friends,” it added.

Wong, who graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in human-centered design and engineering, had worked as a user-experience designer at Splunk, a data analysis software company, from 2017 to 2021, the Standard reported.

“When I’m not pushing pixels, I love creating illustrations, doing crosswords, cooking, doing yoga, and getting outdoors for a morning cycling excursion or a hike,” she wrote on her website.

A Splunk spokesperson told the outlet the company was “deeply saddened to hear of Kimberly Wong’s passing and we extend our heartfelt condolences and support to Kimberly’s loved ones during this difficult time.”

“Kimberly was a hardworking, dedicated employee and will be missed,” the rep added.

Alberto Forero, a former co-worker, described her as “positive, smart and energetic,” adding that he was in disbelief that someone could want to hurt her.

“I was her manager, and we worked on making software together, and I used to sit next to her,” he told KTVU.

“It’s just classic ice-cold shock. This can’t be happening. Out of everybody, nobody deserves to die but somebody that’s so young. That smart. Why? It’s just so senseless,” Forero said.

“It’s incredibly unsettling that she passed in that manner. I’m hoping there’s justice for her. She’s a lovely person. She’ll definitely be missed,” he added to the outlet.

Another neighbor told the Standard that Wong “would honestly be the last person I would expect something like this to happen to — but you can never predict that with these type of crimes.”

Beverly Upton, a local advocate against domestic violence, said she was  monitoring the case.

“We’re hoping for an arrest. This is a tragedy,” Upton, head of the San Francisco Domestic Violence Consortium, told the Standard.

She said the death appeared to be the first domestic violence-related homicide of the year in San Francisco, down from about12 annually when she joined the organization in 2001.

“The trend is going in the right direction. We just have to keep it on the radar screen, no matter what else is going on,” Upton said.