The woman who was found deceased at the side of Riverside Road on Monday, the apparent victim of a hit-and-run, had been missing for over a week at the time of she was found, according to a friend.
Gary Stewart lives in and owns an east Abbotsford home in which he rented a room to Shaminderjeet (Shaminder) Brar, 34. He said Brar left the residence on Sunday, Feb. 10 after an argument with her boyfriend, who also lives in the home.
Stewart and Brar's boyfriend had not seen her or heard from her after she left, and she was reported missing to police on Feb. 12. They were in the process of putting together missing-person posters when they heard that a body had been found on Monday, Feb. 18.
Police confirmed on Wednesday, following an autopsy, that the body was that of a 34-year-old South Asian woman.
The Abbotsford Police Department (APD) officially released her name on Thursday morning.
Although Stewart had not seen Brar since Feb. 10, the APD received a witness report that she was last observed on Saturday, Feb. 16 at around 8 p.m.
Stewart said Brar, who he nicknamed "Rosy," had lived in his home for about six years. He said she was born and raised in Abbotsford, graduating from high school here and then attending college.
He did not know many other details about her background.
Stewart d
escribed Brar as a smart woman with a troubled past.
Brar was found by a passerby at the side of Riverside, about halfway between King and Vye roads, on Monday at about 10:15 a.m.
Police said she had "significant injuries" to her rear torso which were consistent with the impact from a vehicle.
They believe she was struck sometime between Saturday, Feb. 16 at 8 p.m. and the early-morning hours of Monday, Feb. 18.
Const. Ian MacDonald said police are trying to create a more-detailed timeline of Brar's activities in the days before her death. At the time of the incident, she was wearing a reddish pink hoodie (similar to the one pictured), blue jeans and white runners.
Stewart said Brar had a friend who lives on Riverside Road, and that is likely why she was in the area.
He said he and the other tenants of his home are devastated by her death.
"We're all real, real bad," he said.
Anyone who had contact with Brar from Feb. 10 onward, or who might have seen her in the Riverside Road area, is asked to call the Abbotsford Police at 604-859-5225.