Yorkville Man Indicted In Murder Of Aurora Woman Missing Since 2003

AURORA, IL — A Yorkville man was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder in connection with the death of Tyesha Bell, an Aurora woman who went missing in 2003 and was found buried in a shallow grave in December 2020.

Formerly of Aurora, 49-year-old Prince L. Cunningham was indicted Tuesday, and his bail was set at $5 million Wednesday, according to the Kane County State's Attorney's Office. He's due to appear back in court on June 24.

The indictment comes a year and a half after the remains of 22-year-old Bell were found in a shallow grave on a property that was being developed at the time in Montgomery. Although skeletal remains were found in December 2020, Bell's body was not identified until March of the following year, Patch reported.

Clothes and personal effects were found near the grave, but it wasn't enough to confirm the victim's identity that December. It took an autopsy and the work of dental and bone specialists to create a profile of Bell's body.

Officials said she died of a gunshot wound to the back of her head.

The woman was last seen in May 2003 leaving her Aurora apartment. She "left the television on, candles burning in her bedroom and her two young children with family members," showing she did not intend to leave for long, Patch reported.

Bell and Cunningham were dating at the time of her death. The two also had a child, who at the time was almost two years old, according to State's Attorney Jamie Mosser and Aurora Police Chief Keith Cross.

"This has been a long and painful 19 years for Tyesha Bell’s family and friends, not knowing what happened to her, and then learning she had been killed," Mosser said in a statement where he also thanked several law enforcement agencies as well as the person who reported the remains in 2020. "Although the outcome of finding Tyesha’s body is not what we had hoped for, we are grateful that we can charge Mr. Cunningham for his criminal actions and bring him to justice."

In a statement of his own, Cross said: "For more than 19 years, our detectives have worked hard to investigate every lead, look into every tip, uncover new evidence, and build a case to bring justice to Tyesha Bell's family. I want to thank the community, retired Sgt. Jim Coursey, Det. John Munn and Det. Jeff Koenings for their hard work and diligence on this case to bring closure to the Bell family."

The case remains under investigation, and officials ask anyone with information to call 630-256-5500 or email tips@aurora.il.us.