Lac La Biche man pleads guilty to hiding Indigenous woman’s body

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A Lac La Biche man has pleaded guilty to tampering with the body of a young Indigenous woman whose death sparked vigils and calls for justice in the northern Alberta community.

Ali Wayne Cunningham, 31, was in Edmonton King’s Bench on Monday, where he admitted to hiding the body of Tytiana Janvier, 21, in a closet after she fatally overdosed at his home .

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Janvier’s death attracted the attention of advocates for missing and murdered indigenous women, who, along with Janvier’s family, suggested she was the victim of foul play. The RCMP ultimately ruled his death non-suspicious.

According to an agreed statement of facts, Janvier was a friend of Cunningham’s who went to his Churchill Drive home on the afternoon of March 9, 2022. At 7:30 p.m., Janvier “found himself in medical distress at following a drug overdose” and died.

After realizing she was dead, Cunningham wrapped her body in trash bags, a comforter and sheets, and hid her body in a closet.

Janvier was reported missing around 6 p.m. the next day. An RCMP officer went to Cuningham’s home to ask questions about her. Cunningham met the officer at the door and told him that Janvier had left the night before.

After the policeman left, one of Janvier’s relatives came to visit her and asked her where she was.

“At that point, the defendant allowed her into the residence, directed her to the closed closet and opened the closet door, revealing the deceased inside,” state the agreed facts.

The RCMP then searched the house. Trash bags wrapped around the body tested positive for Cunningham’s fingerprints and DNA.

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Tavia Janvier, Tytiana’s mother, remembers feeling uneasy when she couldn’t reach her daughter after she left for town the day she died. Tavia also went to Cunningham’s house and was told she had left the night before.

“The whole time she was inside,” she said.

Cunningham was arrested on July 13, 2022, and charged with committing indignity to a body. He was released before his trial.

Cunningham’s next court date is Oct. 28 to set a sentencing date. A pre-sentence report is currently being prepared.

“I have a stomach ache”

Hundreds of people attended a vigil in Janvier’s honor held shortly after his death. Some family members and supporters initially said they believed she had been killed. Some reports indicate that his body had been tied up, although no such details are mentioned in the agreed statement of facts.

Following Janvier’s death, Cpl. Troy Savinkoff acknowledged the atmosphere at Lac La Biche was “very contentious” but said there was nothing to suggest Janvier’s death was suspicious.

Tavia said reading the agreed facts made her “sick to her stomach.”

“I don’t understand why he would do that to her. She was such a good child. I just don’t understand.

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“She was a wonderful girl,” she added. “She was adorable – she was my baby, my pride and joy. She helped others. She was a nice child.

Court records show Cunningham was convicted in 2019 of drug possession, for which he received a year of probation and a $2,000 fine. The original indictment included charges that Cunningham trafficked prescription pharmaceuticals and MDMA, although those charges were dropped.

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