Leem, Kimberly K

Kimberly Leem, 60, liked to cook. She enjoyed preparing traditional Korean food as well as American food. “She liked to feed people; she liked to make people happy,” said her daughter, Helen. Born in Seoul, Korea, Kimberly had come to this country with her family in the late 70s. A member of the Church of Praise in Aurora, she went to church six days a week. On February 2, 2003, Kimberly had been witnessing with a friend who then dropped her off about 8:20 pm in front of her home in the 12400 block of East Kansas Drive in Aurora. It was a snowy night. Kimberly went to the trunk of her parked car as the friend drove away. About 8:40 pm, Kimberly’s husband, Donald Leem, asked Helen if she knew where her mother was. Helen suggested her mom was probably still at church. Later, two ladies drove past the parked car and thought they saw something move on the ground. They stopped but were afraid to get out of their car. Another passerby noted the car’s open trunk and the open garage door. She too saw something move. After consulting the first two ladies, the third woman went and discovered Kimberly who had been fatally injured. The passersby summoned emergency personnel who transported Kimberly Leem to the Medical center of Aurora South where she was pronounced dead. Aurora Police say the victim was struck by a large pickup or sport utility vehicle that was red in color. It ran into the rear of Leem’s vehicle and left the scene. Besides her husband and daughter, Kimberly Leem leaves a son, Ted, who is a medical student at the University of Colorado. “She was very loving,” said Helen. “She was the best mom.” If you have information about this homicide, please call Detective Pat Hardin at 303-739-6282.