The uncle of a 19-year-old transplant recipient who was found dead in a burned car is pleading for anyone to come forward with any information about her death, in the hope that it will save someone else’s daughter.
Surrey resident Bhavkiran (Kiran) Dhesi, a student at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, was found dead at the scene of a vehicle fire in the 18700-block of 24 Avenue at 12:10 a.m. on Wednesday.
Police said she had injuries that were consistent with a homicide.
WATCH: Surrey homicide victim identified as 19-year-old college student
Kulvant Dhesi, the victim’s uncle, said she had just received a new kidney in February.
“The family is devastated,” he told Global News.
Kulvant said Dhesi was happy because she had been through so much over the years.
Dhesi had taken the family vehicle out to meet friends for dinner at about 9 p.m. on Tuesday, he said.
Her body was found in the burned car about three hours later. Police do not believe the homicide took place in the vehicle.
READ MORE: Body of 19-year-old transplant recipient found in burned vehicle in Surrey: IHIT
Kulvant is now making a public plea for information related to his niece’s death, as the culprit remains at large.
“There’s nothing else we can do for Kiran,” he said. “But at least we can stop it from happening to someone else’s child.
“This culprit has to be caught.”
Meanwhile, the Kwantlen Student Association (KSA) issued a statement saying that the school community is shocked at her death, and that they want students to know they have a safe place to go if they want to talk about anything.
A vigil is being organized for next week, so that students can let the family know they care about them, and so that the university community has a chance to grieve.
IHIT has said that the evidence it has found suggests that the homicide was not random.
Dhesi was not known to police, nor was she connected to any gang activity.
- With files from Rumina Daya and Paula Baker