Overview
- A Kane County jury found Prince L. Cunningham guilty of first-degree murder on Wednesday, May 27, 2026, ending a more than two-decade investigation into a 2003 disappearance.
- Remains discovered by a surveyor in Montgomery in December 2020 were forensically identified as the missing woman and an autopsy concluded she died from a single gunshot wound to the back of the head.
- Prosecutors told jurors that Cunningham, who had a child with the woman while married to someone else, killed her at least in part to prevent court-ordered child-support and because she expected a cash payment the night she disappeared.
- Evidence presented at trial said Cunningham took actions after the disappearance that hindered the inquiry, including asking his wireless carrier to deactivate his phone, changing his number, and transferring his car to a relative.
- Cunningham remains jailed and is due back to the Kane County Judicial Center on July 31 for post-trial motions and sentencing, when he faces a likely prison term in the 45–85 year range and family members said the verdict brings them a measure of closure.