Boyfriend arrested after missing Woburn mother found dead in Saugus marsh

SAUGUS, Mass. — According to the Essex County District Attorney’s office, the boyfriend of Sherell Pringle was arrested Wednesday afternoon.

Bruce Maiben, 44-year-old, has been charged with Larceny of over $1200, tampering with evidence, and obstruction in the investigation into the death of Pringle.

Maiben is expected to be arraigned in Lynn District Court on Thursday.

The Essex County District Attorney’s office has confirmed that the body of a woman found in Saugus on Tuesday is that of a woman missing from Woburn.

Pringle, age 40, was reported missing by her son when she did not return home on Saturday night, according to the DA’s office. Foul play is suspected, according to investigators.

Tuesday afternoon Pringle’s body was found in a marsh along busy Route 107 North in Saugus, near 63 Salem Turnpike.

Pringle had been missing since Saturday, December 18.

The family says they were the ones doing the investigating and they wish it was the police instead.

“My son found her cell phone in the sewer,” said Pringle’s mother Pearl Garner.

Garner says her son pinged Sherell’s phone and traced it to a location in Lynn, but could not get to it.

“He had to call the police station. They had to come out. They couldn’t get it open the next day they had to come out with someone to open it.”

Garner lives in Brockton, she told Boston 25 News that the family initially called Brockton police to report Sherell missing and were referred to police departments in Woburn and Lynn.

Boston 25 News left messages with all three departments.

In a statement, Woburn’s Police Chief Robert F. Rufo, Jr. said “Jahmani Larionne, the son of Sherell Pringle arrived at Woburn Police Department on Sunday, December 19, 2021 at 1946 hours to inform Woburn Police Department that his mother was missing. It was determined that Jahmani Larionne had already reported his mother missing, and filed a report to the Lynn Police Department, on Sunday evening December 19, 2021 at 1755 hours. A log entry was made at Woburn Police Department, Log number 21-28084, indicating family had reported her missing at Lynn PD, and Lynn PD was conducting investigation.”

The Lynn Police Department told Boston 25 “We can confirm the missing person report but we are directing all media inquiries regarding the investigation to the Essex County DA’s Office.”

After the family found her phone they shared her story on social media and began their own search.

“They were out driving because someone had a feeling that she would be out near some water,” said Garner. “They were driving and they happened to make a U-turn and they saw a purse. They saw a purse so they parked the car and they walked back up where they saw it. And there she was. There she was. The police did not find her the family found her.”

They found Pringle’s body just under 72 hours from the time they say she was last seen alive.

The family says they want the police to investigate the last person she was known to be with.

“They had enough information on a motive,” said older brother Dyiocious Westley. “They did not act fast enough. They procrastinated the whole time.”

The DA nor the police could comment on the last 72 hours.

“We were very close, we called one another every morning just to say ‘Good morning mom,’ ‘Good morning sweetie’ and a little later on we will call each other back and talk on the phone maybe three or four times a day,” said Garner. “She didn’t deserve this.”

“She was very caring,” said Westley. “A great parent, a great sister. She had a lot of things going for her, she had a bright future in front of her. She’s a beautiful grown woman and a black queen.”

The facts and circumstances of Pringles’s death remain under investigation.

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