Body of 23-year-old man who went missing after night out in Vancouver found in False Creek: police

The search for a 23-year-old man who went missing after a night out in Vancouver last month has come to a tragic end, police confirmed Tuesday.

Suleiman Khawar’s body was discovered by a boater in False Creek near Granville Island shortly after 8:30 a.m. Monday, according to a statement by the Vancouver Police Department.

Sgt. Steve Addison, VPD spokesperson, says Khawar’s remains were recovered in the waters between the Granville and Burrard bridges.

The tragic discovery was made just one day after Khawar’s family held a large search party on Granville Island, which included 32 people in kayaks searching False Creek.

No one had heard from Khawar since around midnight on May 25, when he told his family he was on his way home from Mansion Night Club near West Georgia and Thurlow Streets.

His brother, Atal Ali, told CTV News he was last seen heading south at Granville and Nelson streets at around 1:20 a.m.

To support their search, the family launched a GoFundMe, which they say will now be used to fund a memorial service for Khawar, according to a statement shared online Tuesday.

“We would like to thank our friends, community members, the VPD and businesses that have supported us in the search for Suleiman. All your tireless efforts and dedication has meant so much,” the family’s statement reads.

Khawar, the youngest member of his family, is being remembered for his “kind, gentle and empathetic nature, his sweet gestures and his easygoing personality,” as well as for his love of music, board games and the outdoors.

Vancouver police say their investigation into his disappearance is still open, and a new one has been launched by BC Coroners Service.

Khawar is the second South Asian man who’s been found dead after going missing following a night out in Vancouver this year.

On April 29, Langley resident Irshaad Ikbal disappeared during a night out with friends at the Harbour Event Centre at the Plaza of Nations.

The 36-year-old's body was discovered in False Creek on May 18.

Addison says police had found no evidence that the two cases are linked.

“Certainly there’s some similarities—both young men, both South Asian men and they went missing from the same part of town,” he told reporters Tuesday.

“We’ll await the results of the coroner’s investigations before drawing any conclusions,” Addison said.

He added that police don’t believe there is an ongoing public safety risk at this time.

Anyone who saw or interacted with Khawar just before midnight on May 25, or in the early hours the next day, is asked to contact VPD’s Missing Person Unit at 604-717-2530 or email [e-mail].

“Maybe it’s a cab driver, maybe it’s an Uber driver, maybe it’s a pedestrian—who knows. There might be somebody out there with information. They may not realize the information they have is important, but it’s important to us,” said Addison. “It may go a long way in helping us to provide answers to the people who would, undoubtedly, desperately love to know what happened in their final moments.”

With files from CTV Vancouver’s Ben Nesbit