A truck driver from British Columbia who was reported missing shortly after arriving in Winnipeg for a delivery on Friday has been found dead, according to a family friend.

Farah Ali Mohamud, 34, drove from Vancouver to Winnipeg on Friday morning to deliver a load. He was scheduled to pick up another load on Saturday morning. His truck was found in the parking lot behind the Sherbrook Inn.

“Police told (the family) that they discovered his body not far … from where the truck was found,” Saiyed Ahmed told CBC News Wednesday morning.

“The story ended in tragedy. We all hoped to find him with better… news.”

He said the family received the news around 11 p.m. on Tuesday. Mohamud’s body was found in a house, but little else is known, Ahmed said.

“It was a very devastating moment for the family,” he says. “They hope to get more answers today. That’s all they know at this point.”

Farah Ali Mohamud is featured on a poster on the Somali-Canadian Education and Rural Development Organization’s Facebook page. (Somali-Canadian Education and Rural Development Organization)

Mohamud, a father of three young children, moved to Canada from Somalia in 2011, according to his father Ali, who spoke to CBC News on Tuesday.

Ali drove from Edmonton to Winnipeg and was searching the West Broadway neighbourhood when he spoke to CBC. He could not be reached Wednesday.

“I think they need some privacy to process all this. It’s a very, very sad moment,” Ahmed said of Mohamud’s family. “They need to grieve and they need time.”

He expects the family will remain in Winnipeg until they can transport Mohamud’s body to Edmonton for burial. Most of Mohamud’s extended family lives in Edmonton, but he lived in BC with his immediate family.

Mohamud had no mental health problems and was a happy, devoted family man and very hardworking, Ahmed said.

“That’s why it’s very difficult for the family to process this. That’s all I know,” he said.

Farah Ali Mohamud, left, is pictured with his son and wife. The family says the truck driver lost contact with them shortly after arriving in Winnipeg on Friday. (Submitted by Ali Mohamud Ali)

The Edmonton-based Somali Canadian Education and Rural Development Organization also posted on its Facebook page Tuesday evening that Mohamud had died.

“We regret to announce that Farah Ali Mohamud has lost his life. Please send your thoughts and prayers to his family,” the post said.

The organization had already issued a missing person report for Mohamud on the same day.

Mohamud works for Reef Trucking Enterprises, based in Surrey, BC. The company declined to comment when contacted by CBC News on Wednesday.

“Mr. Farah completed his delivery and rested at the rest stop. Anything after that was not his active role, per company policy,” a spokesperson said in an email. “The police have jurisdiction and further questions should be directed to them.”

Winnipeg police have not released any further information other than to say that a missing person report was filed by family members on Saturday and that an investigation has been launched.