Photo courtesy of WCVB-TV
The body of a missing Boston woman was found on Tuesday, Dec. 21, by family members in Saugus, Mass.
According to NBC10 Boston, the family of Sherell Pringle, 40, had found her body Tuesday morning along the Rumney Marsh Reservation.
“My mother was a strong, independent woman, a dream chaser. I love my moms to death. Now she’s gone,” said her son, 19-year-old Jahmani Larionne.
Police were called to the scene along Route 107 in Saugus Tuesday afternoon. At least 10 police cars were present on the side of the road, and state police referred questioning to the prosecutors.
The Essex District Attorney’s Office confirmed that her son found Pringle’s body in a marsh along Route 107, and foul play is suspected in her death. Police provided a new timeline involving her death on Wednesday, Dec. 22.
Pringle’s boyfriend, Bruce Maiben, 44, of Lynn, was arrested Wednesday night on larceny charges over $1,200, tampering with evidence and obstruction of justice.
Prosecutors stated that Pringle’s death remains under investigation.
Pringle reportedly went on a date Saturday night, and her family reported her missing after she did not return home. The Woburn police posted a missing person flyer on Facebook on Monday, searching for any tips in finding Pringle. Still, family members believed that investigators did not do enough within the 48 hours after her disappearance, NBC Boston reported.
“We did everything ourselves. Do you think the police found her? We found her,” Larionne said on Tuesday.
The family said they found her phone in Lynn on Sunday and used technology which led them along the route into a marsh area. They circled back to the scene after finding Pringle’s purse.
“Dante said, ‘I think I see a purse.’ We doubled back, and that’s where we found Sherell,” said Troy Moore and Dante Webb, the victim’s friends, who found her body.
While the missing report was initiated by the Lynn police, Moore and Webb said they were not pleased with how the police department conducted the investigation.
“We kept reaching out to them … and they weren’t following up on any tips that we gave them. We weren’t hearing anything back from them. They weren’t saying anything to us,” they said.
Larionne said he went to the Woburn police Sunday night to inform them that Lynn police had filed a missing person’s report.
On Tuesday, the Woburn Police Department issued a statement offering condolences to Pringle’s family and provided details into how they investigated the case.
“Her death is a terrible tragedy, and we stand ready to support her family in any way we can,” the statement said.
Police said Pringle’s disappearance was reported by her son Sunday evening at about 7:45 p.m., the department said. A detective contacted a statewide policing center agency with details, including photos shared with other departments.
“We take every report seriously, and we offer our resources wherever they are needed, regardless of whether or not we have primary jurisdiction or whether the incident was initially reported in Woburn or not.”
The family said Pringle has been dating seeing a man believed to be Maiben for several months.
“My mother was a strong, independent woman, a dream chaser. I love my moms to death, now she’s gone,” said Larionne.
He issued a message to young men with mothers who are dating: “As a son, if you have a mom and she has a boyfriend, please check up on your moms. I should have done that.”