The common-law partner of a Kelowna murder victim has been found dead.

RCMP Major Crimes has received confirmation from Mexican authorities that Gregory George Payne, 51, was found dead in Mexico on November 10.

Payne was the common-law partner of Kim Gayle Simpson, whose body was discovered November 3 in the apartment she shared with Payne.

Constable Steve Holmes, says Payne was considered a suspect in the 45-year-old woman’s murder.

“Ms. Simpson’s body was discovered after her family, who hadn’t heard from her in several days, requested that police check on her well being and that’s when we discovered her body,” says Holmes.

He says they believe Payne left Canada in late October and although they don‘t know the exact date of Simpson‘s death, they have reason to believe she died around the same time.

“We are trying to back track, to go in terms of when we were first notified by the family and through deduction, we reasoned that it must have been some time at the end of October when Ms. Simpson died.”

Holmes says preliminary results from Mexican authorities indicate that Payne died of natural causes.

Link: Murder victim identified Link: Lakeshore Road body: Update