A Yorkville man has been found guilty in the 2003 shooting death of an Aurora woman.

Prince L. Cunningham, 53, of Yorkville was found guilty by a jury of first-degree murder in the May 2003 death of 22-year-old Tyesha Bell of Aurora, the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office said in a news release Wednesday, May 27.

Cunningham was indicted and arrested for the crime on June 14, 2022. He faces a sentence of between 45 and 85 years in prison, the state’s attorney’s office said.

During the early morning hours of May 9, 2003, Tyesha Bell left her Aurora apartment, where she lived with her sister and 1-year-old daughter, to meet Cunningham, the state’s attorney’s office said.

Cunningham, who was married at the time, was in a dating relationship with Bell and was the father of her daughter, the state’s attorney’s office said.

Cunningham told Bell he would meet her outside the apartment and give her money to buy a new car. Bell left behind her purse, driver’s license, and a burning candle and was never seen or heard from again, the state’s attorney’s office said.

In the months prior, Cunningham convinced Bell to end their court-ordered child support arrangement and instead let him give her cash, the state’s attorney’s office said, and they frequently met to exchange money

In the days after Bell’s disappearance, Cunningham lied to police about his relationship with Bell, stating that he hadn’t spoken on the phone with her in months and claiming that he was not the father of their daughter, the state’s attorney’s office said.

Cunningham called the Montgomery Police Department claiming that a pair of Converse shoes had been stolen from his car and suggested Bell may have been involved, the state’s attorney’s office said.

He had his phone deactivated and number changed, and he gave his car to his niece, “creating a months-long delay for police attempting to locate and search the vehicle,” the state’s attorney’s office said in the release.

Bell’s disappearance was considered a missing persons case for 17 years until December 2020, when a surveyor found Bell’s skeletal remains on property being developed in Montgomery. A Converse shoe, appearing to be the same age as the remains, was also found, the state’s attorney’s office said.

An autopsy and forensic analysis determined the remains belonged to Bell and that she had died from a single gunshot wound to the back of her head, the state’s attorney’s office said.

“While no verdict can restore the life that was taken from Tyesha, we hope this decision brings them 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,” State’s Attorney Jamie L. Mosser said.

Judge Julia Yetter set Cunningham’s next court appearance for July 31 at 1:30 p.m for post-trial motions. Cunningham remains in custody at the Kane County jail.