5 key details of Manjit Panghali's murder explored

The 2006 murder of the pregnant mother of one, Manjit Panghali, brought British Columbia to a shock. Manjit had been to her prenatal yoga class before she disappeared under mysterious circumstances. As the investigation proceeded, suspicion fell on her husband, Mukhtiar Panghali.

The Killer Relationship With Faith Jenkins episode titled The Missing Mother showcases the horrific details of Manjit Panghali's murder, airing on Oxygen on August 17, 2024, at 8 p.m. EST.

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5 key details of Manjit Panghali's murder

1) Manjit's disappearance under mysterious circumstances

The mother of one, Manjit Panghali, had attended a prenatal yoga class on October 18, 2006. She was not to be seen alive again and was reported missing 26 hours later to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police by her husband, Mukhtiar Panghali. Manjit had been four months pregnant at the time of her disappearance.

When Mukhtiar was questioned about the delay in the missing persons report, the husband mentioned that he had assumed one had to wait 24 hours before approaching the police.

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2) Manjit's burnt body was discovered five days later

As the search for Manjit began, her charred body was discovered along the narrow strip of beach near the Deltaport causeway, according to The Globe and Mail. The horrific discovery was made five days after her death, and the extent of the burns made it difficult for the authorities to identify her body immediately.

On October 26, 2006, the authorities of British Columbia successfully identified her body using her dental records. The autopsy report stated that she had been strangled before she was burnt, her body contained severe blunt force trauma in her pelvic and neck region, and blood in her vagina, per CBC News.

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3) The suspicion fell on Manjit's husband, Mukhtiar Panghali

Mukhtiar bought a lighter from a gas station around 1 a.m. local time (Image via Unsplash)

The authorities took note of Mukhtiar's behavior as he went out drinking with his friends, even though Manjit had allegedly not returned home per his timeline of events. Officers then found surveillance footage from a Chevron gas station where he was reportedly seen purchasing a lighter and a newspaper.

Justice Heather Holmes shared with CBC News,

"For Ms. Panghali to not return for the night and to not take Maya to pre-school in the morning was, on all the evidence, most obviously extraordinary."

Mukhtiar additionally flooded the police lines with calls, suggesting possible suspects in the investigation.

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4) Manjit Panghali had been a survivor of domestic violence

Manjit was suffering from clinical depression (Image via Unsplash)

The authorities conducted their investigation and found evidence of domestic violence in their marriage, and how Manjit was suffering from clinical depression. They found Manjit Panghali's diary entries and letter where she shared,

"I am writing today because I thought that I would never let myself get to this point. I am clinically depressed and on medication. I am so scared. My husband does not give me the support I need."

She went on to write extensively about Mukhtiar's alcoholism and how she was afraid to bring a child into the chaos she lived in every day.

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5) Mukhtiar was sentenced to life but has now been granted full parole

Mukhtiar Panghali was arrested for the murder of Manjit Panghali in 2007. He was willing to plead guilty to manslaughter but the British Columbia Attorney General, Wally Oppal, did not agree to the deal. The husband was found guilty of second-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole.

However, in a turn of events, Mukhtiar was first released on day parole in 2022, and then on full parole in October 2023 by the Parole Board of Canada, stating that he was no longer a risk to society, per Global News.

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Catch all the details of Manjit Panghali's murder as the Killer Relationship With Faith Jenkins episode airs on Oxygen on Saturday.