The man charged with second-degree murder in the death of Ashley Simpson will be appearing in Salmon Arm court in late December.
RCMP announced in Surrey on Dec. 6 that Derek Lee Matthew Favell, 39, had been charged and would be appearing remotely in Kamloops Provincial Court on Dec. 9.
Favell is the former boyfriend of Ashley Simpson who was last seen on April 27, 2016 in the area near Salmon Arm where she lived with Favell in a travel trailer on Yankee Flats Road.
She was 32 at the time and had been missing for five years and eight months. The RCMP reported on Dec. 6 that her remains had been found in a wilderness area outside of Salmon Arm on Nov. 26, 2021.
Favell has now been scheduled to appear in Salmon Arm court on Tuesday, Dec. 21. The purpose listed in court records is to allow him to consult with a lawyer.
The discovery of Ashley’s remains provided great relief for her parents Cindy and John Simpson, Ontario residents, who have been praying for her return.
Police said there is no connection between Ashley’s death and the four women who went missing from the North Okanagan Shuswap during the same time period: Caitlin Potts, Deanna Wertz, Nicole Bell and Traci Genereaux. The remains of Genereaux were found in October 2017 on a Silver Creek farm where Curtis Sagmoen, who is currently facing a charge of assaulting a police officer, was living.
Read more: RCMP find remains of Shuswap woman missing for five years, former boyfriend charged
Read more: Emotional vigil in Salmon Arm held on day police reveal remains of Shuswap woman found
Read more: News of Ashley Simpson brings hope to other North Okanagan-Shuswap families of missing women
martha.wickett@saobserver.net
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