Photo: RCMP Mohd Abdullah was last seen on March 11. Mohd Abdullah, a senior lecturer at Thompson Rivers University who is believed by police to be a homicide victim, is described as a quiet and polite man who kept himself alone at work. On Wednesday, the Kamloops RCMP confirmed that Abdullah was the dead man found in a vehicle parked outside a house in Monterey Place in Dufferin on March 17. Abdullah was last heard six days earlier on March 11 and declared missing when he did not show up for work at TRU on March 14 after the weekend. His death is being investigated as homicide, but to date no arrests have been made. A local lawyer, Rogelio Butch Bagabuyo, was accused of interfering with a dead body by allegedly placing Abdullah’s remains in a plastic bin. Abdullah taught in the IT department as an assistant professor who had more than 20 courses. Department president and associate professor Mahnhoon Lee said it was sad, disturbing and stressful to learn that Abdullah had been killed. Lee said he started at TRU 20 years at the same time as Abdullah, and described him as a quiet person who did not socialize much in the department, but was quite active outside of it. Abdullah was also a Pilates and yoga instructor in the city and, according to his employee profile on the TRU website, enjoyed health and well-being, had an interest in web design and programming, and enjoyed travel and cooking. Abdullah was always punctual and never canceled a lesson, Lee said. That changed on March 14 when he did not show up for work. Lee said he noticed Abdullah’s absence that morning and recalled checking his desk and classes several times. “He did not show up for class on Monday and I had to go to his classroom and make a cancellation announcement,” Lee said, adding that his colleagues had been covering his classes ever since. A fellow computer science professor, Wayne Babinchuk, said he did not know Abdullah personally, but was shocked to learn on Wednesday that he had been killed. “You’ve been working with someone for 21 years, you don’t expect that to happen to them,” Babinchuk said. Babincuk said the university sent an email yesterday notifying the school of the death. Speaking to students Thursday during the lesson – some of whom currently have Abdullah as their teacher – Babincuk said some had expressed frustration over the death and noted that they would now have to find a new teacher in two-thirds of the class. their course. “We have about six or 700 teachers and I have been here for 30 years. “I do not remember anything like this ever happening to a faculty member,” Babinchuk said. Lee said he did not know much about his colleague’s personal life, only that his wife had died of cancer a few years ago. Abdullah holds a master’s degree in information technology from Dalhousie University and a master’s degree in applied information technology. He volunteered with Uniterra in 2016 and was also chair of the BC Council on Admissions and Transfers (BCCAT) articulation committee for IT training. Babincuk said he had received several emails following the news of Abdullah’s assassination by members of the commission who expressed how terrified they were when they learned of his death, expressing how kind a man he was, Babincuk said. “Many people knew him well and sent emails expressing condolences,” Babinchuk said. Maeghan Porter, a former student of Abdullah, described him as a very handsome man who was very physically active. Porter attended about three or four of his classes about a decade ago and said he enjoyed chatting and hanging out with his students. Abdullah was the subject of international news in 2009 when he spoke after being warned by Tournament Capital Center staff not to wear too short shorts. The then 48-year-old felt the political bias and refused to listen to the warning, characterizing it as double measures and measures. The TRU issued a statement after the police confirmed his identity, that the TRU is organizing consulting services to support those affected by Abdullah’s death. “We are cooperating with the RCMP and given the ongoing investigation, we will not comment further,” the statement said. TRU faculty president Tara Lyster said the news was very upsetting. He had no further comment on Abdullah.
