A man has been charged with one count of second-degree murder following an investigation into the death of a woman who went missing close to six years ago from Salmon Arm, B.C.
The RCMP say Derek Favell has been charged in the death of Ashley Simpson, his girlfriend at the time she disappeared in 2016.
A statement from the BC Prosecution Service says Simpson's death occurred "on or about" April 27 that year.
Mounties said during a news conference Monday that Simpson's body was found near Salmon Arm.
The next court appearance for the 39-year-old man is scheduled to take place in Kamloops on Thursday.
The Mounties say in a statement their southeast district major crime unit worked on the case for five years, identifying Favell as a primary suspect, before the unsolved homicide unit assumed conduct of the investigation.
In a statement shared by the RCMP, Simpson's family says "a wave of relief" came over them "knowing that finally she is coming home."
