Body of missing B.C. woman found 5 years later, boyfriend charged with murder: victim's family
A B.C. man has been charged with murder following the discovery of his girlfriend's body five years after she disappeared.
A family member told CTV News Monday that they'd been informed that investigators had found the remains of Ashley Marie Simpson, who was last seen in Vernon, B.C., in April 2016.
As a result of an investigation into the 32-year-old's death, Derek Lee Matthew Favell has been charged with second-degree murder.
Following the announcement from Simpson's family, the B.C. RCMP confirmed the charge, which according to court records is alleged to have taken place on April 27, 2016, in or near Salmon Arm, B.C.
According to those records, the 39-year-old is due to appear in court in Kamloops, B.C., later this week and remains in custody.
Mounties said Favell was identified as the primary suspect in the case at some point, but did not say how far into the investigation that was.
The RCMP did not provide many further details on the investigation, including where and when Simpson's remains were found.
Simpson's family told CTV News that Favell was her boyfriend at the time of her disappearance.
According to her family, the victim and Favell had recently moved to Salmon Arm, and were unemployed and living in a trailer. They had been "fighting all day" when Simpson disappeared, her family said in an email.
Family and friends came to B.C. from Ontario to search for signs of the missing woman, and her father returned several times since.
While police classified her disappearance as foul play, there were no suspects in the case for some time, her family said.
In a statement, Simpson's father, John, said despite the classification, "we always had hope that, against all odds, Ashley would return to us."
"Unfortunately, there was no storybook ending."
John Simpson wrote that detectives from B.C. travelled to his family home in Ontario to pass along the news on Friday, and that they were emotional as well.
"All we could muster were tears of joy mixed with sadness," he said.
"As a father, I can tell you, no one can be prepared for the news that their daughter was found murdered and left to rot in the ground. But we are grateful that she will be returning to us so she can finally be laid to rest in a place where her family and friends can visit her."
Through the RCMP, her family members said the relief is the "best Christmas present" they could have received.
They said simply, "Ashley shined. She shined and she made the people around her shine."
About a year after her disappearance, her family had some hope they'd find out what happened to Simpson when police discovered human remains on a farm in the province's Southern Interior.
Families of several missing women from the area, which was between Vernon and Salmon Arm, braced for the news.
The remains were identified as those of 18-year-old Traci Genereaux. A suspect has not been named in the case, and police have not said any other remains were found on the farm.
Other women who were reported missing at the time include Deanna Wertz, Nicole Bell and Caitlin Potts, none of whom have been found. Officials have not suggested the cases are connected in any way.
To families of other missing women, John Simpson said he hopes the update in his daughter's case brings them hope.
According to the most recent available data from the National Centre for Missing Persons and Unidentified Remains, B.C. had the highest number of missing adults per capita last year, with 239 reports per 100,000 people.
Monday is the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against women in Canada. It's been more than 30 years since the murder of 14 women at École Polytechnique in Montreal.
The women died and others were injured when a man opened fire in a classroom on Dec. 6, 1989, in what is widely believed to be Canada's largest mass shooting specifically targeting women.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Trudeau promises $1B in loans for child-care providers to expand care centres
The federal government is launching a new loan program to help child-care providers in Canada expand their spaces, and will be extending further student loan forgiveness and training options for early childhood educators, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
N.B. man wins $64 million from Lotto 6/49
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
'Nonsense:' Doug Ford slams lawsuits filed by Ontario school boards against social media platforms
Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against a trio of social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
Do these exercises for core strength if you can't stomach doing planks
Planks are one of the most effective exercises for strengthening your midsection, as they target all of your major core muscles: the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, external obliques and internal obliques. Yet despite the popularity of various 10-minute plank challenges, planking is actually one of the most dreaded core exercises, according to many fitness experts.
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.