Surrey teen missing since October has been found dead: family

The search for a Surrey teen who went missing Oct. 22 has ended in tragedy.

18-year-old Joseph Maku has been found dead in Delta, his family said in a Facebook post Friday.

In the post, Joseph’s sister Brenda Maku says they learned Friday that the teen has been dead since the day he was reported missing.

“The cause of death is still under investigation by the BC Coroners Service, the investigation is still ongoing, and it will be long before we know how my brother passed away,” the post says.
“Until then, we will remain shocked that my brother is no longer here to shine a light on us all.”

Maku was a first-year kinesiology student at UBC, loved basketball, and was outgoing and adventurous, his family said when he first went missing.

The Maku family has started a GoFundMe campaign to help with funeral costs, rent, groceries, and other bills.

1130 NewsRadio has reached out to police and the BC Coroners’ Service for more information.

With files from Joe Sadowski.