On the evening of September 22, 2023, the Langley City Fire Rescue Service was dispatched to Nicomekl Park, a stretch of green space along the river at 5281 208th Street in Langley, British Columbia. They were responding to a report of a bush fire. As firefighters worked to extinguish the flames, they and the Langley RCMP officers who also attended the scene made a grim discovery among the scorched earth: human remains. The death was immediately deemed suspicious, and the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) was called in to take over the case.
For over a year, the identity of the person found in the park remained a mystery. Investigators pursued numerous avenues to uncover who the victim was and the circumstances that led to their death. Finally, on December 24, 2024, IHIT publicly identified the victim as Michael Kashani, a 36-year-old man from Langley.
Police released a photo of Kashani, hoping to generate new leads from the public now that his name was known.
The identification confirmed the worst fears for a family that had been searching for answers. In a statement, IHIT acknowledged the profound loss experienced by those who knew the victim. "Mr. Kashani was 36 years old at the time and his death has left a void in his family and community," said Sergeant Freda Fong of IHIT. The release of his name marked a new phase in the investigation, shifting the focus to retracing Kashani's final days and understanding how he came to be in Nicomekl Park on that Friday night.
Investigators have not released Kashani's cause of death or specified the nature of his injuries. The core of the mystery remains how a routine call about a small fire uncovered a homicide. Police have appealed to the public for any information that could help piece together a timeline of Kashani's activities and interactions in the days and hours leading up to the discovery of his body. They believe someone in the community holds the key to understanding what happened.
"We believe someone out there may have information about Mr. Kashani’s death and we are interested in speaking with them," Sgt. Fong stated in the public appeal. Detectives are asking anyone who knew Kashani, saw him around the time of his death, or may have witnessed unusual activity in or near Nicomekl Park on September 22, 2023, to come forward, no matter how insignificant the detail might seem.
As of February 2026, Michael Kashani's case remains an active and unsolved investigation, listed on the RCMP's IHIT unsolved cases page. His family continues to wait for justice as investigators work to bring closure to a case that began with smoke rising from a city park. No reward has been publicly offered. Police urge anyone with information to contact the IHIT Information Line at 1-877-551-IHIT (4448) or by email at [email protected].
