Investigators say a 27-year-old man has been charged in connection with the death of two people whose bodies were found inside a vehicle in Burnaby nearly four years ago. The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team said it has spent four years investigating the deaths of 31-year-old Kiesha Garie and her fiancé, 30-year-old Umair Kasim. Garie’s mother created a memorial where the two were discovered, outside of Alpha Secondary School, and had to replace it after it was destroyed earlier this year. At the time, Sgt. Freda Fong with IHIT told CTV News that investigators “have not given up.” IHIT announced Friday that Mohammad Arif Ansari had been arrested in connection with Garie and Kasim’s deaths, and said the B.C. Prosecution Service had approved two counts of second-degree murder and one count of indignity to human remains against him. IHIT said it believes the homicides were targeted and confirmed “the parties involved were known to one another.” “Through the persistent pursuit of multiple investigative avenues and the meticulous examination of evidence, this case has reached a significant milestone with the approval of charges,” Fong said, in a statement Friday. “We recognize the profound impact these homicides have had on the victims’ families and our thoughts remain with them as the judicial process moves forward.” IHIT said it will release no further information, as the matter is now before the courts.
