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, according to the woman's family.

A B.C. man has been charged with murder following the discovery of his girlfriend's body five years after she disappeared, according to the woman's family.

A family member told CTV News Monday that they'd been informed that investigators had found the remains of Ashley Simpson, who was last seen in Vernon, B.C., in April 2016.

As a result of an investigation into Simpson's death, Derek Lee Matthew Favell has been charged with second-degree murder. Simpson's family told CTV News that Favell was her boyfriend at the time of her disappearance.

Court records showing Favell's name list the date of the alleged offence as 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.

Simpson was in her early 30s when she was last seen, and described as having a "heart of gold."

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.