Image Credit: SUBMITTED: Cindy Simpson

Ashley Simpson's mother, Cindy Simpson, says she always knew her daughter had been murdered and right from the beginning she suspected Ashley's boyfriend, Derek Favell.

Now, almost six years since Ashley went missing, Favell has been charged with her murder and Cindy will soon get the chance to see him in the dock of a courtroom.

"I want to look him in the eye, I want to look at him and just let him know, I knew, we all knew," Cindy told iNFOnews.ca.

READ MORE: Boyfriend of missing Ashley Simpson charged with her murder

It's been an excruciating five years and eight months for Cindy since she first reported her daughter missing in April 2016.

"He knew what we were going through, and yet he stated his innocence... that is heartless and cruel," she said. "Karma is coming."

On Dec. 3 Cindy got a call at her Ontario home from the RCMP detectives dealing with the case. The detectives said they were in the area and wanted to stop by and see her.

In-person, the detective broke the news that Ashley's body had been found in a wilderness area outside Salmon Arm and that Favell had been charged with second-degree murder. She was 32 years old.

"I cried," Cindy said. "My husband and I both said it's the best Christmas present ever, it's been a long time coming and she finally needed to come home."

Ashley had come to B.C. in early 2016 with her dad and worked in a lodge in the northern community of Pink Mountain. She'd met Favell there and moved south to Yankee Flats Road, near Enderby, where they lived together.

The couple had only been together two or three months when Ashley was reported missing in April 2016.

Cindy says she always knew at the bottom of her heart that Ashley was dead.

"You have that little tiny sliver of hope come in periodically but logically I knew," she says. "After the first couple of months you know... you have to know Ashley to know she would never have left on her own and not contacted family."

It's hard to fathom that finding out your daughter had been murdered would be "the best Christmas ever" until Cindy explains what the last five years have been like.

"Everything (and) anything you can imagine (has been) torn apart," she says.

Both Cindy and her husband, John Simpson, have seen their physical health suffer, along with their mental health, and their finances.

"My grandchildren... are devastated," she says.

For Cindy, the discovery of Ashley's body is closure, and she's glad not to have had to wait another five or 10 years to find out what happened to her daughter.

"I honestly do not know how people do it, it's shattering... and I'm very thankful that we were not put in that situation," she says. "(The RCMP) did find her (and) they did amazing work and we are forever grateful."

READ MORE: 'I know somebody took her life:' Ashley Simpson's family still waiting for answers four years after disappearance

Cindy says Ashley's body wasn't found by a passing hiker or hunter, but by the two RCMP detectives working on the case.

The RCMP thought it would be unlikely Ashley would still have her rings on her but she did.

Cindy's engagement ring was a gift to Ashley on her 30th birthday, and Cindy now has the ring back.

Ashley was one of several women to have gone missing in the area around that time including Caitlin Potts, Deanna Wertz and Nicole Bell.

The body of Traci Genereaux was discovered on a Silver Creek property in the fall of 2017 owned by the parents of Curtis Sagmoen. He has been convicted in several cases of violence towards women, but no charges have been laid in relation to the discovery of Genereaux's body.

Cindy's advice to the families of the other missing women is to never give up.

"It gives you a sense of peace knowing you are trying everything," she says. "Make as much noise as you possible can, we never gave up and we kept Ashley's name out there... I know Ashley knew we were trying."

The next stage now is to bring Ashley's body back to Ontario to be near her parents. A Gofundme has been set up by friends of the family to help with the expenses.

After that, the court proceedings will begin and regardless of the distance between Ontario and B.C., Cindy is determined to be there.

"We will make it there one way or the other... if we have to hitchhike, I'll make it there," she said.

There is certainly no happy ending to Ashley's story, but Cindy says she's woken up "lighter" these last few days just knowing what happened.

To donate to the Gofundme go here.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Ben Bulmer or call (250) 309-5230 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. 

News from © iNFOnews, 2021