'Tremendously missed': Beloved Kitsilano park caretaker killed in home

A Kitsilano park has been surrounded by police tape all weekend after an elderly park caretaker was killed inside his home.

Vancouver police said the man’s friends grew concerned when they hadn’t heard from him in days and asked first responders to do a wellness check Friday morning.

When paramedics arrived at the home on West Third Avenue near MacDonald Street, they found Justis Daniel, 77, deceased.

Vancouver police spokesperson Const. Tania Visintin said when officers arrived at the scene, they found it showed signs of a “suspicious situation,” adding officers are investigating to determine if there was a break-in or struggle.

The residence is located at Tatlow Park, where Daniel was the long-time caretaker.

“My heart breaks to hear that anything traumatic would have happened to Justis here in the park, in a space that he made safe for everybody,” said Linda Kaastra, who stopped by the park Sunday morning to light a candle for Daniel.

"He cared a lot about this space and a lot about, you know, the people that came here, so I feel that he will be tremendously missed."

Kaastra said he’s been the caretaker of the park in the 20 years she’s known him; some say he’s had this job for nearly 30 years.

Many call him a fixture of the community who was well-known in Kitsilano.

“(He was) a very kind man, a community-oriented man,” Kaastra said. “He cared about everybody. He was also a musician. He was passionate about music. And he often talked about his son.”

In a statement Sunday, the Vancouver Park Board offered its condolences to Daniel's family and friends, as well as park board employees who had gotten to know him over the years.

"We are saddened to hear of the passing of Justis Daniels, and to hear his life was cut short in such a senseless way," the statement reads. "As a long-time caretaker at Tatlow Park, Mr. Daniel contributed to the enjoyability of the park each and every day."

No arrests have been made and police have not released a possible motive.

“This is very concerning and very troubling,” Visintin said. “We don't know who did this. We don't know why they did this. He had no police record.”

“As with anyone who dies, of course it's very troubling, but I think this case in particular – this elderly man who had a great reputation within the community – it's quite tragic and so our investigators are working hard to determine who did this.”

Police are looking for dash cam video and witnesses who were in the area of Tatlow Park and the adjacent streets of Point Grey Road and West Third Avenue, between Balaclava and MacDonald streets, between 7 a.m. on Dec. 9 and 11 a.m. Dec. 10.

This marks the 17th homicide in Vancouver this year.