Homicide investigators confirmed Monday that human remains found at a residential property in Maple Ridge, B.C., last month belonged to a 43-year-old woman who was reported missing earlier this summer. The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says the remains of Jessica Cunningham were found at her home in the 22800 block of Gillis Place on Aug. 27. Officers from the Ridge Meadows RCMP had been at the home since the day before, gathering information related to the missing person case. Once the remains were found, the homicide team was called to take over the case while provincial coroners worked to confirm the identity of the deceased. “Investigators continue to work to understand the circumstances that led to Jessica’s death,” Cpl. Sukhi Dhesi of IHIT said in a statement Monday. “Our thoughts are with her family, friends and loved ones.” Friends and family gathered on Sunday night for a vigil outside of Cunnigham’s home. “I feel like a giant piece of me has been pulled out,” said Krissy Rasko, a close friend of Cunningham’s. Rasko said organizing the vigil was the hardest thing she has ever done but also one of the most important. “It was the only way to be able to have her see a light at the end of this, it was an honor to do it,” she told CTV News. As a survivor of domestic violence herself, Rasko said she is trying to be a voice for the voiceless. “I can be that voice for Jessica right now. She can’t be, and that’s the hard part,” she said. One man has been charged with indignity to human remains in relation to the discovery. The charge against Mylie Barron was laid on Aug. 27, according to IHIT. Cunningham was last seen in June and was reported missing the following month, prompting a public appeal for information about her disappearance in August. Asked why it took so long for police to notify the public that Cunningham was missing, Ridge Meadows RCMP Staff Sgt. David Lee said he could not elaborate on the details of the investigation, noting only that the investigative steps police took led them to revisit the home on Gillis Place and find the remains. The house was Cunningham’s residence, and police believe she and Barron were in an intimate relationship, Lee said. “I don’t have that information as to how long they’ve been there for,” Lee said during an Aug. 28 news conference. “It’s early in the investigation, and that’s one of the things we’re trying to figure out right now.” Angela Marie MacDougall, the executive director of Battered Women’s Support Services attended Cunningham’s vigil. She said they have seen an uptick in demand for their services. “It’s almost 200 more victims a month reaching out to us,” she said, also noting an alarming upward trend in lethal cases. “This could be the deadliest year that we’ve seen for women in British Columbia and in Canada.” MacDougall called it “a public safety crisis that requires urgent action.” The homicide team is asking anyone with information related to the investigation to call investigators at 1-877-441-4448 or to email ihitinfo@rcmp-grc.gc.ca. With files from CTV News Vancouver’s Ian Holliday
