The death of a missing Woodstock, Ont. woman last week is being investigated as suspicious, Woodstock police said Tuesday.
The update comes days after investigators revealed that the body of Karen Cunningham, 30, had been located on Feb. 3 in the area of Mill Street and Sixth Street a day after she was reported missing.
The area had under heavy police presence with road closures throughout the day Friday for what tight-lipped police would only say was an “active investigation.”
Police had launched a missing person probe for Cunningham on Thursday, stating that police and her family were concerned for her wellbeing.
Cunningham was known to drive a black 2010 Mazda sedan, police said. On Friday, a parked vehicle matching that description was found near Mill and Sixth streets. Inside investigators located a body, according to police.
Few details have been made public in the days since, but on Tuesday police reported they were continuing to investigate Cunningham’s death and that it had been deemed suspicious.
On Tuesday, a GoFundMe campaign was initiated to help support Cunningham’s family. By late afternoon, more than $500 had been raised.
“The loss of their beloved daughter/sister Karen has left a hole that can never be filled. Karen’s blue eyes and bright smile will be so greatly missed,” the GoFundMe, launched by a friend of Karen’s, states.
According to her Facebook profile, Cunningham had worked as a personal support worker at Woodingford Lodge, a long-term care facility in Woodstock, since 2019, and had studied at Fanshawe College’s Woodstock campus.
“Karen had a bigger-than-life personality, unmatched energy, and a heart larger than this universe. She had a way to make anyone around her feel like family and could make any situation a humorous one. Our lives already feel so empty knowing she isn’t physically with us anymore.”
A visitation for Cunningham will be held on Feb. 10 at Brock and Visser Funeral Home from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., with a funeral the following day at 11 a.m., the GoFundMe says.
