Sentencing hearing underway for Maple Ridge man guilty of interfering with human remains – BC

WARNING: The details in this story are disturbing. Discretion is advised.

A sentencing hearing is underway for a Maple Ridge man found guilty of interfering with the dead body of his 43-year-old girlfriend, Jessica Cunningham.

On Tuesday, the court heard that Mylie Barron initially allowed police to search his home but stopped them when they got to his freezer.

The Crown is seeking two years in jail and three years’ probation for Barron, claiming he deliberately attempted to hide his partner’s body to avoid the “inconvenience” of a police investigation.

Defence wants a two-year conditional sentence to be served in the community, followed by one year of probation.

RCMP said 43-year-old Cunningham was last seen in June 2025 and was reported missing a month later.

 

According to an agreed statement of facts read by the Crown, Barron and Cunningham had lived in the upper unit of a home on Gillis Place in Maple Ridge since early 2024.

The court heard the couple frequently used illicit drugs, including cocaine and meth.

On July 25, the landlord called police for a wellness check as Cunningham hadn’t been heard from for over a month and Barron wouldn’t open the door.

Crown says police attended and Barron indicated Cunningham was in Victoria.

On August 20, police took a statement from Barron, who gave them Cunningham’s cell phone.

Six days later, Barron allowed police to search the home, knowing the Crown says that Cunningham’s remains were in a freezer.

When a human arm was found in a garbage bag in a standalone deep freezer, Barron, who told police he no longer consented to the search, was arrested.

Police returned with a warrant the next day.

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On Sept. 1, the court heard the body in the freezer was confirmed to be Cunningham’s.

Crown says the body was washed, bent at the waist and secured with duct tape so it would fit in the garbage bag. The head was wrapped separately.

 

In a victim impact statement read by the Crown, Cunningham’s mother wrote:

“My daughter did not deserve what happened to her.

“I will never understand how someone can hurt someone and leave them to decompose for months before being found.”

Barron, 48, has pleaded guilty to interfering with Cunningham’s remains between late May and August of last year.

How Cunningham died is the subject of an ongoing investigation.

Crown told the court: “No cause of death has been released.”

B.C. provincial court judge Kasandra Cronin has reserved her decision until March 5.

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