THE RCMP Southeast District Major Crime Unit (SED MCU) on Thursday confirmed the identity of a young man located deceased in a rural area of Kamloops on Tk’emlúps traditional territories on Saturday morning as 18-year-old Jagraj Dhinsa.
(Castanet Kamloops reported that Dhinsa was a student at Sahali secondary and counselling services are being made available to School District 73 students.)
On January 29, at around 8 a.m., police received a request to assist an ambulance in a parking lot of St. Joseph’s Cemetery / Tk’emlúps Health Clinic / Tk’emlúps Church on Chilcotin Road. Frontline officers located a deceased man who had suffered obvious injuries.
Following an autopsy, the BC Coroners Service and investigators have confirmed that Dhinsa was the victim of homicide. The cause of his death will not be released to protect the integrity of the investigation, the RCMP said.
“Police are revealing Jagraj Dhinsa’s name to further the developing investigation,” said Inspector Brent Novakoski, Southeast District Senior Investigating Officer of the BC RCMP Major Crime Section. “We are asking anyone who had contact with Mr. Dhinsa on January 28 or 29, or who has information that may help investigators in determining Mr. Dhinsa’s activities and whereabouts leading up to his death, to please contact police as soon as possible.”
Evidence found near Dhinsa’s body linked him to a black 2014 Honda Accord located on Dallas Drive at Lafarge Road in Kamloops.
“In investigations like this, early tips and information from the public can be crucial,” said Novakoski. “We are reaching out to the public and asking them to please provide us with any video surveillance, cellphone or dash-cam footage in the Chilcotin Road area to Lafarge Road at Dallas Drive in Kamloops from the afternoon of January 28 until the morning of January 29.”
Since the discovery of Dhinsa’s death, numerous police officers have been working to collect evidence related to this investigation, including members of the SED MCU, “E” Division Serious Crime Unit, Forensic Identification Service, Police Dog Service, Kamloops Detachment Serious Crime Unit and General Investigation Services Team, and Tk’emlúps Rural Detachment members. The BC Coroner’s Service is conducting a concurrent investigation.
Supports and services are available for those impacted by loss at BC Bereavement Helpline and BC Victims of Homicide, 1-877-779-2223, or by visiting:
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/life-events/death/after-death/get-support.
“Our members were distressed with the major incident on our Indian Reserve and we appreciate the collaborative efforts to ensure that there was no immediate threat to those residing in the areas,” said Rosanne Casimir, Tk’emlúps te Secwepemc Kukpi7 (Chief). “Our condolences are with the family impacted by this tragic loss and our hope is that they get the answers they seek to honour his life.”
Anyone with information or surveillance that may be related to this investigation is requested to call the SED MCU information line at 1-877-987-8477.
