Ramina Shah

Ramina Shah was a bright and outgoing woman, a dedicated mother to three young children who loved them more than anything in the world. The 32-year-old female real estate agent from Maple Ridge, British Columbia, had a smile that could light up a room and a laugh that friends said could take away your problems. Her employer, Stonehaus Realty, remembered her as "the type of person that lit up a room," whose "presence and outgoing personality was loved by everyone." Shah had just earned her realtor's license in October 2021 and was excited about her new career, balancing it with her role as a single mother. Her own mother, Gilda Shirazi, called her "the best daughter anybody could wish to have." Friends who organized a fundraiser after her death said she always stood up for what was right and never backed down from a fight.

On the afternoon of Thursday, January 27, 2022, Shah was at her office in a strip mall at 1126 Austin Avenue in Coquitlam. Friends said she had been filming a video to promote her real estate career that day. Around 4:30 p.m., she was brutally attacked and stabbed in the building's underground parkade. First responders rushed her to a local hospital, but her injuries were too severe, and she died. The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) took conduct of the case and quickly stated that the killing appeared to be an isolated, not a random, incident. A makeshift memorial of flowers, cards, and candles soon grew in the spot where she was attacked.

The investigation began immediately, with IHIT detectives canvassing the area for witnesses and video evidence. They issued a public appeal for anyone with dash-cam footage from the area of Austin Avenue and Marmont Street between 2:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. on the day of the murder to come forward. Investigators also sought to speak with Shah's friends and associates to build a timeline of her final days. In the days leading up to her death, Shah had posted a message on her Instagram account about avoiding revenge and focusing on self-improvement, writing, "I never wish ill on anyone. Even those trying to hurt me."

A year after the murder, Ramina's mother expressed her family's profound pain and frustration with the lack of progress. "They are saying we are working on it and we are working on it," Gilda Shirazi said in a January 2023 interview. "It's very painful." She pleaded for anyone with information to contact the police. "I [am] just begging them to come forward," she said. "Call IHIT and tell them the truth." IHIT has maintained that the investigation is active and ongoing. "Our investigators continue to work hard to bring justice for Ramina's family and to ensure that those who are responsible for this tragedy are held accountable," IHIT Sgt. Timothy Pierotti stated on the first anniversary of her death.

Court records revealed that Shah and her ex-husband, Bobby Shah, had previously been the subject of a civil forfeiture lawsuit filed in 2018 regarding their home and several vehicles, which the government alleged were proceeds of crime. The lawsuit was dismissed by consent of all parties in April 2021, and the allegations were never proven in court. Police have not publicly commented on any potential connection between this past legal issue and Shah's murder.

As of October 2023, more than a year and a half after Ramina Shah was killed, her case remains unsolved. No arrests have been made and no suspects have been publicly identified or charged in connection with her death. Her family continues to grieve and wait for answers, remembering a woman full of life who was taken from her children and loved ones far too soon. IHIT continues to ask anyone with information to contact their information line at 1-877-551-IHIT (4448) or by email at [email protected].