A Yorkville man has been found guilty of first-degree murder in the killing of Tyesha Bell, an Aurora woman who went missing more than two decades ago and whose remains were discovered in late 2020.
In the early morning of May 9, 2003, Bell left her apartment in Aurora, where she lived with her sister and 1-year-old daughter, to meet Prince L. Cunningham, of Yorkville, according to statements presented in court by Kane County prosecutors.
Cunningham was already married but was in a dating relationship with Bell and was the father of her daughter, according to prosecutors.
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Cunningham told Bell he would meet her outside her apartment and give her money to buy a new car, a news release from the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office said.
In the months prior, Cunningham had convinced Bell to end their court-ordered child support arrangement and let him give her cash instead, and they frequently met to exchange money, prosecutors said.
The last call Bell received on her cellphone was from Cunningham, the State’s Attorney’s Office said. She left behind her purse, driver’s license and a burning candle when she left her apartment and was never seen or heard from again, according to the release. She was 22 years old when she went missing.
In the days after Bell disappeared, prosecutors allege that Cunningham lied to police about his relationship with her, saying he hadn’t spoken on the phone with her in months and claiming that he was not the father of their daughter.
Bell’s disappearance was considered a missing persons case for almost two decades, the State’s Attorney’s Office said, until a surveyor found Bell’s skeletal remains on property being developed in Montgomery in late 2020.
An autopsy and forensic analysis ultimately identified the remains as belonging to Bell, finding that she had died from a single gunshot wound to the back of her head, according to a news release from the State’s Attorney’s Office.
Then, in 2022, Cunningham was indicted and arrested in connection with Bell’s death.
Now, a jury has found Cunningham, 53, guilty of first-degree murder in the Aurora woman’s death, the State’s Attorney’s Office said in Wednesday’s news release.
“For more than 23 years, Tyesha Bell’s family has lived with unanswered questions, unimaginable grief and the pain of not knowing what happened to their daughter, sister and mother,” Kane County State’s Attorney Jamie Mosser said in the news release.
Mosser said she hopes the decision brings Bell’s family “a measure of peace and the assurance that her life mattered, her voice was not forgotten and the person responsible has finally been held accountable.”
Aurora Police Chief Matt Thomas, in a statement, said he is “thankful” that law enforcement has been able to “provide some measure of closure to those who loved (Bell) and ensure accountability in this case.”
He said solving a cold case like this is “especially meaningful because it represents years of dedication, persistence and a continued commitment to seeking justice, even when answers do not come quickly,” and expressed his pride at the detectives “who carried this case forward over the years, never losing sight of (Bell), the victim, or the family that has lived with this loss for far too long.”
Cunningham is next set to appear in court on July 31 for post-trial motions, the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office said. He remains in custody at the Kane County jail, and faces a sentence of between 45 and 85 years in prison in connection with the killing.