When Sardar Atiq Khan was found dead inside the Martindale home he shared with his wife and two young children early one morning in May, officials believed he had died from a drug overdose.
But on Tuesday, nearly seven months after Khan, 41, was found dead, police labelled his death a homicide.
Khan, who was unemployed and had lived in Calgary for eight years, had been travelling and returned to Calgary just a week before he was killed, according to police.
Investigators are now hoping to speak to anyone who may have had contact with Khan in the week prior to his death.
It was Khan’s wife who found him dead inside his home on Martindale Drive N.E. around 6:15 a.m. on May 30, according to police.
The father of two had last been seen alive late in the evening on May 29 and investigators believe he was dead for only a short period of time before he was found.
Police believe Khan was targeted by people who knew him or his family.
“We don’t believe this was a random incident. We believe that the persons involved knew the victim or the victim’s family. There was no signs of forced entry and signs of struggle in the residence,” homicide unit Staff Sgt. Doug Andrus told media on Tuesday.
Police are not releasing Khan’s cause of death because the investigation is ongoing.
Andrus said there was drug paraphernalia and indications of drug use in the house and while it was initially believed Khan died from a drug overdose, investigators treated the death as suspicious from the beginning.
Khan’s family, who was been co-operative with investigators, also thought his death was suspicious given the circumstances, Andrus said.
Andrus said it took several months for preliminary toxicology results and investigative steps to deem the death a homicide.
“This has been an ongoing investigation, we’ve been working in consultation with the Medical Examiner’s Office,” he said.
Anyone with information about Khan’s death is asked to contact police at 403-266-1234 or Crime Stoppers anonymously.
AKlingbeil@calgaryherald.com