Kai Pavlovic: Two Charged in Burnaby Death

# DHF-033 — Kai Pavlovic: Two Charged in Burnaby Death

**Case No. DHF-033 | Subject: Kai Pavlovic, 11, of Burnaby, British Columbia | Date: 26 September 2025 (reported missing); 2 November 2026 (charges announced) | Location: Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada | Status: CHARGED**

**Posted:** 3 November 2026

**Status stamp: CHARGED**

> **Image note for readers:** All images in this file are original illustrations created for Dark History Files. They are atmospheric artwork, not photographs and not real evidence. No image in this file depicts Kai Pavlovic, any member of any family, any investigator, any charged person, or any real person, and no image depicts any act of violence or any 

 death.

*Caption: Case card for DHF-033 — Kai Pavlovic case, Burnaby, British Columbia. Status: CHARGED.*

## THE FILE CARD

| **Case File No.** | DHF-033 |

| --- | --- |

| **Subject** | Kai Pavlovic, 11, of Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada |

| **Date** | 26 September 2025 (Burnaby RCMP asked to check on his well-being; he was reported missing); 2 November 2026 (homicide charges announced) |

| **Location** | Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada |

| **Status** | CHARGED |

| **Investigating authority** | Burnaby RCMP; the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) from 25 June 2026 |

| **Charged persons** | Branko Bijelic, 51, of Burnaby — charged with second-degree murder and indignity to human remains; Sarah Bijelic, 46, of Burnaby — charged with manslaughter. Both are charged, not convicted. |

| **One-line summary** | More than a year after 11-year-old Kai Pavlovic was reported missing in Burnaby, British Columbia, police announced that his remains had been found and that two people had been charged in connection with his death. Both charged people are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. |

> **Why this file is stamped CHARGED:** The stamp records only the procedural position as it stands on 2 November 2026. A charge is an accusation, not a conviction. The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says two people have been charged; no trial has taken place, no verdict has been reached, and this file states no finding of guilt. IHIT has also said it will not release further information while the matter is before the courts, and that many details are protected by a publication ban. If the case proceeds to a plea, a trial verdict, or a dismissal, this file will be updated, dated, and re-stamped — never quietly rewritten.

## THE CASE

### A well-being check in Burnaby

On 26 September 2025, Burnaby RCMP received a request to check on the well-being of Kai Pavlovic, an 11-year-old boy living in Burnaby, British Columbia. Officers could not locate him, and a missing-person investigation began. That is the first firmly dated fact in this file, and it is the one from which everything else follows: a child whose safety could not be confirmed, a police force asking the public for help, and a family waiting for news that, for more than a year, did not come.

The early public record is short, and this file keeps it short. In an update issued on 2 October 2025, Burnaby RCMP said investigators had spoken to Kai's family members and had reason to believe, at that stage, that he was staying with a caretaker unknown to police. Officers said numerous resources had been dedicated to the investigation and that they were working around the clock to locate him. The same update asked anyone who knew where Kai was, or who was looking after him, to contact Burnaby RCMP. It also addressed a question the public was already asking: why no Amber Alert had been issued. The answer, from RCMP media relations officer Corporal Laura Hirst, was that Amber Alerts are activated where an abduction has been confirmed and there is believed to be imminent danger to the child, and that at that point the information did not meet the criteria.

That early belief — that Kai might be staying with an unknown caretaker — is recorded here because it was the police position at the time, and because it explains how the public understood the case in its first weeks. It is not recorded as an outcome. Nothing in the later record confirms it, and the later record points in a different direction: a homicide investigation, remains found, and charges laid. This file does not try to reconcile the two stages with a theory of its own. It records what police said when they said it, and marks the point at which the record changed.

Kai's family, in a statement issued through police during the search, described him as a bright, curious, outgoing and kind boy who loved to climb trees, build forts and learn to sail. That description is included here, in the family's own terms as reported, because it is the only account of who Kai was that the public record offers, and because a file about a child should not reduce him to a date and a charge sheet. No further personal detail about Kai is included in this file. His photograph, which police circulated during the search, is not reproduced here: the style of this file is illustration, not real photographs of a child, and nothing in the current record requires it.

### A search that lasted more than a year

For more than a year after September 2025, the case remained open and, in public at least, without a resolution. The sources relied on here do not give a week-by-week account of the investigation, and this file does not invent one. What can be stated is the institutional shape of it: the case began as a Burnaby RCMP missing-person investigation, was escalated within Burnaby RCMP's Serious Crimes Unit as a high-risk missing-person investigation, and was then taken over by a specialist team.

That handover is the next firmly dated fact. On 25 June 2026, the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team — the RCMP-led unit that investigates homicides across the Lower Mainland — assumed conduct of the case. IHIT's own release gives that date, and it matters for a reason a reader might miss: a homicide team's involvement, months before any public announcement of remains or charges, shows that the investigation had already changed character well before the public was told how it ended. This file does not go further than that. IHIT has not said what evidence prompted the transfer, and no source relied on here says so either. The transfer is recorded as a fact of the investigation's organisation, not as a clue to its findings.

The months between June 2026 and November 2026 are, in the public record, largely silent. That silence is itself part of the story, and it is worth saying why. In a missing-child case, silence from police is often read by the public as inaction, and comment threads fill the gap with theories. In this case, the eventual announcement shows that the investigation was continuing through that silence — but the file cannot describe work that no source describes. What it can do is refuse to fill the gap. There is no account here of searches, interviews, or forensic work during those months, because no reputable source relied on here gives one, and a careful file does not dress up a gap as a narrative.

### The announcement of 2 November 2026

On 2 November 2026, IHIT announced that the search for Kai Pavlovic had come to a tragic end: his remains had been found, and two people had been charged in connection with his death. The announcement was carried the same day by CTV News Vancouver, CBC News, Global News BC, and the Vancouver Sun, and it rests on IHIT's own release, which is the primary source for this file. The release is identified as IHIT File # 2026-680.

The charges, as approved by the B.C. Prosecution Service and stated in the IHIT release, are these. Branko Bijelic, 51, of Burnaby, is charged with second-degree murder and indignity to human remains. Sarah Bijelic, 46, of Burnaby, is charged with one count of manslaughter. Those are the charges, in full, as the official record states them. This file adds no further charge, no additional allegation, and no characterisation of either charge beyond what the words themselves mean in law: second-degree murder and manslaughter are both homicide charges, and they are both, at this stage, allegations that the prosecution must prove.

Two further facts from the announcement need to be stated plainly, because they define the limits of this file. First, IHIT confirmed that both accused are family members of Kai Pavlovic, but could not provide further information on their relationship to him. This file therefore states only that — that both accused are family members — and does not name or describe any relationship. Any more specific relationship claim in circulation is not from IHIT, and it is not repeated here. Second, IHIT spokesperson Sergeant Freda Fong confirmed that the alleged offences took place within British Columbia last year, before Kai was reported missing, and said that this was not a stranger incident or a random incident, and that at no point did police believe there was a risk to the public. Those statements are attributed to IHIT throughout, because they are the investigating team's characterisation of the case, not findings of a court.

What happened in court, so far as the sources relied on here report it, is limited. CTV News Vancouver reported that the B.C. Prosecution Service confirmed Branko Bijelic had appeared in court and was detained pending a possible bail application, and that Sarah Bijelic was scheduled to appear in court on the afternoon of 2 November 2026. No plea is reported for either accused in any source relied on here, and no bail outcome is reported. Those absences are normal within a day of charges being announced, and they are recorded here so that a reader does not mistake silence for a missing fact.

### What this file deliberately does not say

The most important part of this file may be what it leaves out, so it is stated as a list, not left to implication. The date on which Kai's remains were found is not stated, because neither IHIT's release nor CTV's reporting gives it. The location where the remains were found is not stated, because it is protected by a publication ban, as CTV reports, and IHIT has not released it. The suspected motive is not stated, because it is likewise protected by a publication ban and has not been released. The cause or manner of Kai's death is not stated, because no source relied on here gives it, and any detail of that kind about a child would in any case be excluded by this file's own restraint. The specific family relationship of either accused to Kai is not stated, because IHIT has not provided it. No arrest date is stated for either accused: the sources relied on here do not agree on a single wording for the timing of Branko Bijelic's arrest, and no arrest date is given for Sarah Bijelic, so this file states only the date the charges were announced.

That restraint is not a gap in the reporting. It is the reporting. A publication ban is a court order, and a file that respects grieving families and the court process does not test its edges by repeating banned detail from unofficial sources. Equally, a charge is not a conviction, and a file published on the day charges are announced should not write as though the court process has already happened. Every sentence in this file about what either accused is alleged to have done is, in truth, a sentence about what they are charged with — and the file keeps that distinction visible, because it is the only distinction that protects both the accused and the reader from mistaking an allegation for a fact.

### Why this file is published now

This file is published the day after the charges were announced, while the record is short, and that timing is deliberate. A case file published now fixes the verified record — the well-being check, the year-long search, the IHIT takeover, the charges, and the gaps protected by the publication ban — before unofficial detail hardens into accepted fact. In a case that has already been discussed widely online, with comment threads speculating about relationships, motive, and the circumstances of Kai's death, a file that says exactly what is confirmed and exactly what is not is more useful than a file that waits for completeness and arrives after the speculation has settled.

The test for publishing a live file of this kind is not whether the story is complete. It is whether the verified facts are enough to be useful, and whether the file can be written without guessing at the rest. Here, the verified facts are enough: a dated RCMP record of the disappearance, a dated IHIT takeover, an official release announcing remains found and charges laid, two named accused with stated charges, a confirmed statement that both accused are family members without a specified relationship, and a clear account of what IHIT will not release while the matter is before the courts. The guesses have been left out: no motive, no remains location or date, no cause of death, no specific family relationship, no arrest dates that the sources do not agree on, and no suggestion that a charge is a conviction. If the court process or a further IHIT release adds to the record, this file will add it, dated and sourced. Until then, the stamp stays CHARGED, and the presumption of innocence stays attached to it.

## TIMELINE

- **26 September 2025** — Burnaby RCMP receives a request to check on the well-being of Kai Pavlovic, 11. Officers cannot locate him, and a missing-person investigation begins. (Burnaby RCMP, via its 2 October 2025 update and the IHIT release.)

- **2 October 2025** — Burnaby RCMP updates the public: investigators have spoken to Kai's family members and, at that stage, have reason to believe he may be staying with a caretaker unknown to police. RCMP explains why no Amber Alert has been issued: the information does not meet the criteria, which require a confirmed abduction and believed imminent danger. The public is asked to contact Burnaby RCMP at 604-646-9999 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

- **September 2025 – June 2026** — The investigation continues as a Burnaby RCMP missing-person case, escalated within the Serious Crimes Unit as a high-risk missing-person investigation. No week-by-week public account of this period is given in the sources relied on here, and this file does not invent one.

- **25 June 2026** — The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team assumes conduct of the case. (IHIT release, 2 November 2026.)

- **2 November 2026** — IHIT announces that Kai Pavlovic's remains have been found and that two people have been charged: Branko Bijelic, 51, of Burnaby, with second-degree murder and indignity to human remains; Sarah Bijelic, 46, of Burnaby, with one count of manslaughter. IHIT confirms both accused are family members of Kai, without specifying the relationship, and states that it will not release further information while the matter is before the courts. CTV News Vancouver reports that Branko Bijelic had appeared in court and was detained pending a possible bail application, and that Sarah Bijelic was scheduled to appear in court that afternoon. No plea is reported for either accused.

- **3 November 2026** — This file is published, recording the position as of 2 November 2026.

## EVIDENCE & LEADS

- **The well-being check (Burnaby RCMP, 2 October 2025 update):** On 26 September 2025, Burnaby RCMP received a request to check on Kai Pavlovic's well-being; officers could not locate him. Investigators had spoken to family members and, at that stage, believed he might be staying with a caretaker unknown to police. The update explains the Amber Alert criteria and why they were not met, and asks anyone with information to contact Burnaby RCMP at 604-646-9999 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

- **The IHIT takeover (IHIT release, 2 November 2026, File # 2026-680):** After Burnaby RCMP's Serious Crimes Unit handled the escalated high-risk missing-person investigation, IHIT assumed conduct on 25 June 2026.

- **The remains and the charges (IHIT release, 2 November 2026; CTV News Vancouver, 2 November 2026):** IHIT announces that the investigation ultimately led to the discovery of Kai Pavlovic's remains, and that the B.C. Prosecution Service approved charges: Branko Bijelic, 51, of Burnaby — second-degree murder and indignity to human remains; Sarah Bijelic, 46, of Burnaby — one count of manslaughter. The release gives no date or location for the discovery of the remains.

- **The accused as family members (IHIT, via CTV News Vancouver, 2 November 2026):** IHIT confirmed both accused are family members of the deceased, but could not provide further information on their relationship to the child. This file states no more specific relationship.

- **The nature of the incident as characterised by IHIT (Sgt. Freda Fong, via CTV News Vancouver, 2 November 2026):** The alleged offences took place within British Columbia last year, before Kai was reported missing. Fong said this was not a stranger incident or a random incident, and that at no point did police believe there was a risk to the public. These are IHIT's statements, not court findings.

- **The publication ban and the limits on further information (CTV News Vancouver, 2 November 2026; IHIT release):** Many details, including the suspected motive and where the remains were found, are protected by a publication ban. IHIT states: "As this matter is now before the courts, IHIT will not be releasing further information."

- **Court position as reported (CTV News Vancouver, 2 November 2026, citing the B.C. Prosecution Service):** Branko Bijelic had appeared in court and was detained pending a possible bail application; Sarah Bijelic was scheduled to appear in court on the afternoon of 2 November 2026. No plea, bail outcome, or further court date is reported in the sources relied on here.

- **What is NOT evidence in this file:** any date or location for the discovery of the remains; any suspected motive; any cause or manner of death; any specific family relationship between either accused and Kai; any arrest date for either accused; any account of the investigation between June 2026 and November 2026 beyond the IHIT takeover; and any suggestion that a charge

  is a conviction.

*Caption: Illustration of an empty suburban street at dusk — atmospheric artwork, not a photograph of Burnaby and not evidence.*

## STILL UNKNOWN

- **When and where were Kai's remains found?** Neither IHIT's release nor CTV's reporting gives a date or a location, and the location is protected by a publication ban. This file does not fill the gap from unofficial sources.

- **What is the suspected motive?** It has not been released and is protected by a publication ban. This file states none.

- **What was the cause or manner of Kai's death?** No source relied on here gives it, and this file does not speculate about it.

- **What is each accused person's specific relationship to Kai?** IHIT confirmed only that both accused are family members, without specifying the relationship. This file states no more.

- **When was each accused arrested?** No arrest date is given for Sarah Bijelic in the sources relied on here, and the sources do not agree on a single wording for the timing of Branko Bijelic's arrest, so no arrest date is stated for either.

- **Have either accused entered a plea, and what happened on bail?** No plea is reported for either accused. CTV reports only that Branko Bijelic was detained pending a possible bail application and that Sarah Bijelic was scheduled to appear in court on 2 November 2026.

- **What happened in the investigation between June 2026 and November 2026?** No source relied on here gives a detailed account of that period beyond the IHIT takeover on 25 June 2026. This file does not invent one.

- **What did the early "caretaker" belief rest on, and when did it change?** The 2 October 2025 RCMP update records the belief as it stood at that time. No source relied on here explains what evidence supported it or when investigators moved away from it, and this file does not guess.

> **What would change this file:** if IHIT or a court releases further information, if either accused enters a plea, if bail is decided, if a trial produces a verdict, or if charges are dropped or changed, this file will be updated with the date, the source, and the new stamp if the facts require it — never quietly rewritten. Until then, the stamp stays CHARGED, and both accused are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

## WATCH THE FULL STORY

No companion video yet. If Dark History Files' sister channel Curiozoid publishes a video on this case, it will be linked here.

## SOURCES

- Integrated Homicide Investigation Team / Royal Canadian Mounted Police release, 2 November 2026, IHIT File # 2026-680 — the primary official source for this file: IHIT assumed conduct on 25 June 2026 after Burnaby RCMP's Serious Crimes Unit handled the escalated high-risk missing-person investigation; the investigation ultimately led to the discovery of Kai Pavlovic's remains; the B.C. Prosecution Service approved charges of second-degree murder and indignity to human remains against Branko Bijelic, 51, of Burnaby, and one count of manslaughter against Sarah Bijelic, 46, of Burnaby; "As this matter is now before the courts, IHIT will not be releasing further information." IHIT Information line: 1-877-551-4448 (monitored 24/7).

- CTV News Vancouver, 2 November 2026 (Andrew Weichel) — "2 charged in death of B.C. child reported missing last year" — read in full via verification: Kai Pavlovic, 11, of Burnaby; wellness check on 26 September 2025; Amber Alert threshold not met; IHIT took over in June (release gives 25 June 2026); remains found, date and location not stated; both accused confirmed as family members without a specified relationship; Sgt. Freda Fong: alleged offences in British Columbia last year, before Kai was reported missing, not a stranger or random incident, no believed risk to the public at any point; publication ban covering the suspected motive and where the remains were found; Branko Bijelic appeared in court and was detained pending a possible bail application; Sarah Bijelic scheduled to appear in court on the afternoon of 2 November 2026. Corroborates the IHIT release on every key claim.

- Burnaby RCMP update, 2 October 2025 — "Update: Missing 11 year-old Kai Pavlovic" — well-being check request on 26 September 2025; investigators had spoken to family members and, at that stage, believed Kai might be staying with a caretaker unknown to police; Amber Alert criteria explained; contact Burnaby RCMP at 604-646-9999 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477. Corroborates the disappearance date and the early police position.

- CBC News, Global News BC, and the Vancouver Sun, 2 November 2026 — carried the same IHIT announcement the same day (charges laid in the homicide of the missing 11-year-old Burnaby boy; remains found; two people charged). Used as corroboration that this was the day's leading Canada news story, not as the source of any fact stated only by them.

- RNZ, October 2025 — family statement issued through police during the search, describing Kai as a bright, curious, outgoing and kind boy who loved to climb trees, build forts and learn to sail. Used only for that one respectful family description; no other fact in this file rests on it.

- No competitor article text or image is reproduced in this file. Facts are stated in Dark History Files' own words. No source beyond those listed above was relied on for facts in the draft. No search-volume numbers are stated, because no tool returned any.

> **Information box — if you have information:** If you have information about this case, contact the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team Information line at 1-877-551-4448, which IHIT says is monitored 24/7. Give only what you personally saw or know. Do not repeat names, relationships, motives, or locations from unofficial social-media posts that IHIT has not confirmed: many details in this case are protected by a publication ban, and a charge is not a conviction. If you believe someone is in immediate danger, call your local emergency number.

*Caption: Illustration of an empty park trail at dawn — atmospheric artwork, not a photograph of any place connected to this case and not evidence.*

**Reader question:** When a court case is protected by a publication ban and the police will say no more while the matter is before the courts, what should a careful public record publish first — only the charges it can verify — and what does a reader lose when the unverified version, with its guesses about motive and relationships, gets there first?

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This file is based on public reporting and official statements available as of 2 November 2026. Read how every file is built on the About page (https://thedarkhistoryfiles.blogspot.com/p/about.html), or request a file via the Contact page (https://thedarkhistoryfiles.blogspot.com/p/contact.html).