Mounties say they have identified human remains that were found in Surrey earlier this year, following calls for the public's help.
The R-C-M-P say they were able to identify the victim within a week of releasing photos of a tattoo and the clothing the man was wearing.
They say his name is not being shared out of respect for his family and their request for privacy.
Police say criminality is not believed to be a factor in his death.
The fundraiser radiothon started taking pledges from donors at 6:00 am and went on till 10:00 pm on Tuesday, Nov 8th, 2022. Thousands of people made their pledges over the phone, and hundreds walked into the RED FM studio to donate money.
Via release, Sergeant Justine Thom says “This is a tragic event and our thoughts are with the family of this individual, we have a large team of investigators working together to determine how this happened, but we are still in the early stages at this point.”
A statement from Abbotsford Police says "An unidentified man exited the rear of the female’s car and demanded belongings from the victim. During this time, the victim was attacked by the man, who struck the victim with a hammer."
In the videotaped statement shown in court, McCallum says he recognized Debi Johnstone as a campaigner for a group wanting to keep the RCMP in Surrey while he was planning to replace it with a municipal police force.
Traci Johal is described as a South Asian woman, 5’6”, 125 lbs., with shoulder-length dyed dark blonde hair. She was last seen wearing a white blouse, black or grey leggings, a black sweater and black running shoes. Her family and police are concerned about her well-being.
A statement from RCMP in the Fraser Valley city says police were called to the home in a rural area of Chilliwack on Tuesday afternoon. Officers determined the deaths appeared suspicious and the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team is now leading the case.