Killer Relationship With Faith Jenkins: What happened to Manjit Panghali?

The horrific murder of Manjit Panghali, in 2006 in British Columbia, took to the headlines of every major newspaper in the country. The pregnant mother of one was brutally strangled to death before her body was burnt and dumped on a beach near Roberts Bank in Delta by her husband Mukhtiar Singh Panghali.

Manjit disappeared after a prenatal yoga class on October 18, and her charred remains were found five days later with severe trauma and injuries. The Killer Relationship With Faith Jenkins episode titled The Missing Mother showcases the mysterious disappearance of Manjit Panghali as it airs on Oxygen on August 17, 2024, at 8 p.m. EST. The official synopsis reads,

"The sudden disappearance of Manjit Panghali sparks a massive search for the pregnant mother. What investigators uncover has a tight-knit immigrant community in shock, a family in mourning and a killer relationship exposed."

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Who was Manjit Panghali?

Manjit Panghali was born on July 4, 1975, to parents Resham Basra and Surinder Basra. Manjit was one of the three siblings in her family, as she grew up with her brother, Tur Basra, and her sister, Jasmine Bhambra.

Manjit settled down in British Columbia, Canada, and got married to her husband, Mukhtiar Singh Panghali. Both Mukhtiar and Manjit were Surrey school teachers, and they had a daughter named Maya Kaur Panghali. Manjit was four months pregnant when the tragedy struck her.

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What happened to Manjit Panghali?

On October 18, 2006, Manjit was scheduled to attend a prenatal yoga class. However, she was last seen at the class in Surrey, British Columbia, and was never heard from again. Manjit was reported missing by Mukhtiar approximately 26 hours later on October 19, 2006.

Mukhtiar Singh Panghali contacted the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and filed a missing person report, as per The Globe and Mail. When questioned about the delay in the report, Mukhtiar alleged that he had been under the impression that he would have to wait 24 hours before lodging a complaint.

According to CBC News, Mukhtiar Panghali held a news conference where he tearfully expressed his concern for his wife's disappearance and begged for his wife's return for the sake of their three-year-old daughter, Maya. However, Manjit Panghali's charred remains were found on a beach near Roberts Bank in Delta, according to CBC News.

The horrific discovery took place five days after the missing person report, on October 23, 2006. The body was positively identified to belong to Manjit, following which it was taken for an autopsy examination. The autopsy report prepared by the forensic pathologists revealed that she had been strangled to death after she was brutally assaulted, per CTV News.

Manjit's body carried evidence of blood in her vagina and blunt force trauma to her pelvic region and her neck prior to her death. The authorities concluded that she had been burned after the murder to clear any DNA evidence on the body.

The investigators and prosecutors found inconsistencies in Manjit's statement, as he lied about his whereabouts and flooded the police lines with allegations of possible suspects. A surveillance footage clip collected from a local Chevron gas station - at a time he claimed he was alone in the house - turned him into a suspect and led to his eventual conviction.

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Catch all the details of Manjit Panghali's disappearance as the Killer Relationship With Faith Jenkins episode airs on Oxygen on August 17, 2024.