Rogelio "Butch" Bagabuyo seen leaving the Kamloops courthouse on April 17, 2025.

(LEVI LANDRY / iNFOnews.ca)

The first officer to set eyes on Mohd Abdullah's body quickly ruled out calling for medical help.

Sgt. Kevin McIntyre's only concern once blocking a rental cargo van into a driveway was to make sure the person found inside could get help if they were still alive, he told a Kamloops courtroom Thursday, April 17.

"My only focus was determining whether or not there was a person in this vehicle that needed medical attention," he said.

At the end of the first week of trial, McIntyre told the court he was the first Kamloops RCMP officer called when they were first alerted to the discovery of a dead body at a Dufferin neighbourhood home in March 2022. Whether he knew it at the time isn't clear, but the report would turn what was initially a missing persons investigation into a homicide.

Lawyer Rogelio "Butch" Bagabuyo is charged with the first-degree murder of Mohd Abdullah, a former TRU lecturer. While they were known to be friends, the Crown alleges the murder stems from a legal arrangement gone awry over nearly $800,000 Abdullah entrusted to Bagabuyo.

Abdullah's body was allegedly discovered in a plastic bin in the back of the cargo van. Throughout the week, court heard testimony from people who lived at the home, one of whom called police once discovering what was inside.

READ MORE: Bagabuyo trial: Man recalls lengthy, 'aimless' search to bury body

McIntyre, who was on patrol at the time of the call, said he led a team with four other officers to the area on March 17, 2022. At 10:14 p.m., they scanned the neighbourhood to plan their approach and blocked the vehicles in the driveway three minutes later, including the backed-in cargo van, he told the court.

Justin Robertson, who had called 911, gave McIntyre the keys to the van, where he found a large plastic tote, partially covered by a tarp and ratchet-strapped to the floor.

"I was able to loosen the rear ratchet strap and open the bin just enough to get a flashlight inside, then see what was in the bin," McIntyre said. "I noticed immediately there was a human body inside. The body was laying on its back, and I could see the legs were tucked in toward the chest and feet crossed toward the ankles."

Much like Robertson did upon the discovery, McIntyre then shut the bin and the van, leaving it to someone else. His team secured the scene and police had the residents stay in a hotel since the home was deemed a crime scene. The detachment's homicide investigators took over.

The court heard from Cpl. Dave Marshall of the serious crime unit, who took the court through a series of surveillance videos his team compiled. The court was shown a chronological tracing of Bagabuyo and his friend, Wynand Rautenbach, renting the cargo van on March 15.

READ MORE: BC man sues police watchdog over report into Vernon murder

With footage from businesses and houses, he described the videos as showing the rental van and Bagabuyo's Honda Pilot each driving from the Notre Dame Drive area to Dominion Park in the Sagebrush neighbourhood. The SUV went back toward Bagabuyo's Columbia Street house, then returned to the park carrying a plastic tote on a hitch-mounted rack.

According to Rautenbach's testimony earlier this week, that's when the plastic tote was transferred into the cargo van. He said he didn't know what was inside the bin, only that Bagabuyo needed help to get rid of it and it was heavy.

The van was then seen travelling west of Royal Inland Hospital around 5:50 p.m., March 15, according to videos shown in court April 17. The SUV was no longer in tow at that time and it was around 20 minutes after they passed the other direction together.

The weeks-long trial is expected to soon see more video footage tracing the cargo van's travels in Kamloops and Cache Creek. After only reaching the end of the first week, the court hasn't yet heard evidence of what happened to Abdullah's money, how he died, or Bagabuyo's alleged preparation before his death.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Levi Landry or call 250-819-3723 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. SUBSCRIBE to our awesome newsletter here.

News from © iNFOnews, 2025