The family of a slain Vancouver Island woman is facing the unsettling discovery that someone once considered a childhood friend is accused of the murder.
Tyeshia Jones, 18, was found dead on Cowichan tribal lands last year after disappearing on her way to meet a friend at a Duncan grocery store. William Gordon Robert Elliott was arrested late Friday in connection to her death as well as that of Karrie Ann Stone, whose badly burned remains were found in a wooded area outside of Duncan in 2010.
Bruce Jim, who exchanged a text message with Elliott the day before he was arrested, says he is stunned the 24-yaer-old is being charged with first-degree murder in his cousin's slaying.
"I'm shocked," he said. "He was a good friend of mine."
But the two lost touch as they became teenagers.
"He was a problem child, always getting in fights and suspended...that's what I know of him," he added.
Elliott's family members told CTV News that although he'd had a very troubled childhood, they felt he was turning his life around. He'd recently married and told them he had dreams of becoming a firefighter.
Jones's family is still emotional and already dreading what will come out of the court process.
"It's going to hurt us when we go through that trial," Jones's aunt Phyllis Jim said.
Elliott's next court appearance is scheduled for next month. Jones's mother says she will follow the court process every step of the way.
"The hardest is yet to come, I have to hear the truth and the details," she said. "It's going to bring a lot of pain back, but at least I'll know the truth and I can let go."
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Penny Daflos
