Victim and suspect in Vancouver’s 1st 2023 homicide identified by police, nearly 6 weeks after murder

A woman suspected of committing Vancouver's first homicide of 2023 is pictured in the Downtown Eastside on Jan. 3. Police have released the photo, and identified 34-year-old Jeff Jeanty as the victim, in hopes the public can help with the investigation. (VPD)

A 34-year-old man has been identified as Vancouver’s first homicide victim of the year, and police are hoping the public can help find the woman suspected of killing him.

The Vancouver Police Department revealed Friday that Jeff Jeanty was found dead on Jan. 3 by firefighters responding to a suspicious, outdoor blaze on Powell Street and Raymur Avenue.

“Investigators are now asking for the public’s help to identify a suspect captured on camera in the Downtown Eastside around the time of the murder,” the VPD said in a statement. “Though the murder was Vancouver’s first of 2023, due to the sensitive nature of the investigation, VPD has so far been unable to provide details.”

Police have released a photo of the suspect, who they describe as a woman in her 20s with a fair complexion, long dark hair and a height of about 5’8”. On Jan. 3, she was seen wearing a nearly all-black outfit, except for her blue jeans.

VPD spokesperson Const. Tania Visintin told CTV News that it’s not clear whether the suspect and victim knew each other, or if the homicide was random.

“Evidence we collected has led investigators to believe that this was not an accidental fire and that it was set with intention of causing harm,” said Visintin.

Police describe Jeanty as a Downtown Eastside resident, but Visintin couldn’t confirm whether or not he was homeless.

Online court documents show a robbery charge was laid last November against a Vancouver man named Jeff Jeanty who was born in 1988. He was scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 9, when a warrant was issued for his arrest.