Man sentenced for indignity to human remains in Downtown Eastside homicide

A 43-year-old man has pleaded guilty to indignity to human remains in connection with a 2023 homicide investigation in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.

The investigation began on Jan. 3, 2023, when Vancouver Fire Rescue Services responded to a suspicious outdoor fire near Powell Street and Raymur Avenue. Human remains found there were later identified as those of 34-year-old Jeff Jeanty.

On Aug. 10, 2026, Dustin Gastl was sentenced to three years in custody, to be served consecutively to an unrelated sentence he is currently serving.