A North Vancouver woman is among two people charged with first-degree murder in the death of a 45-year-old Burnaby man whose disappearance was reported by concerned neighbours in February.
Arezou Soltani, 45, and Mehdi Ahmadzadeh Razavi, 48, of Maple Ridge, were arrested March 13 following a weeks-long investigation. The BC Prosecution Service has approved one count of first-degree murder against each of them.
Burnaby RCMP launched the investigation on the evening of Feb. 2, 2026, after neighbours raised concerns about Masood Masjoody’s whereabouts. Officers quickly determined his disappearance was out of character and that criminality was involved, prompting the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) to take over the case.
Over the following weeks, IHIT investigators pursued multiple leads and conducted searches at several locations. On March 6, Masjoody’s remains were found in Mission.
IHIT Sgt. Freda Fong said the victim and both accused were known to one another, though a motive has not been established. “We understand this case has impacted the Iranian community and has generated widespread concern and public interest,” she said. “The laying of first-degree murder charges marks a significant milestone and reflects the hard work undertaken over the past several weeks; however, much work remains as the prosecution process begins.”
A former mathematics instructor at Simon Fraser University, Masood was a vocal critic of the Iranian regime. Police are looking into whether his political activism may have played a role in his death. According to a media report in CBC, court records show he had filed several lawsuits in recent years, including actions naming both people now accused of his murder. In B.C. Supreme Court civil filings, Masjoody had accused Soltani of alignment with the Iranian regime, while other documents say he alleged Razavi had loyalty to Iran’s intelligence services. Both suspects denied those claims in replies to the legal actions, and the allegations have not been tested in court, as reported by CBC News.
Neither of the accused had a criminal record in Canada and had limited prior interactions with police.
