Remains found of missing mom whose ex-boyfriend was convicted of murder, officials say

Remains have been discovered of a 27-year-old woman whose disappearance sparked a four-year investigation, Wisconsin officials say.

The Wisconsin Department of Justice announced Tuesday, Dec. 3, that Cassandra Ayon’s remains were found on private property Nov. 30 in Brighton.

Ayon’s remains were discovered about 8 miles away from where she had last been seen on Oct. 3, 2020, in Unity while leaving a friend’s home, according to the Marshfield News Herald.

“We never stopped looking for her,” Clark County District Attorney Melissa Inlow said in a statement. “We hope that the discovery of her remains lends a sense of closure and finality to her family and everyone who misses and mourns her.”

Ayon’s ex-boyfriend, Jesus Contreras-Perez, was sentenced to life in prison in 2022, officials said. He was found guilty of first-degree intentional homicide in Ayon’s death and was also convicted of hiding a corpse and stalking causing bodily harm.

Contreras-Perez and Ayon shared a 7-year-old child together, according to a criminal complaint, which said the couple had an on-again, off-again relationship.

Months before she disappeared, Ayon showed a man “bruises on her wrist and arm” she said were caused by Contreras-Perez, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors alleged Contreras-Perez previously made threats to hurt Ayon and others she was hanging out with.

“(Contreras-Perez) had told Ayon that if she ever cheated on him, he knew where to hide Ayon’s body so that no one would ever find it,” a friend of the victim told authorities, according to the complaint.

A review of Contreras-Perez’s cell phone locations on the day Ayon went missing determined he was in areas where she was believed to be, according to the complaint. He later said his phone went missing.

Inlow called Contreras-Perez’s life sentence “the right outcome.”

“Mr. Contreras Perez stole Cassandra Ayon from her family and from their young son,” she said. “Although a life sentence is justice for Cassandra and her family, we will continue to search for Cassandra and Mr. Contreras Perez’s accomplices.”

Brighton is about a 40-mile drive southwest from Milwaukee.

This story was originally published December 4, 2024 at 8:38 AM with the headline "Remains found of missing mom whose ex-boyfriend was convicted of murder, officials say."