On the evening of August 5, 2023, 48-year-old Jennifer Renea Vann and her husband, 48-year-old Brian Carter Vann, were found dead in their home on Sambo Jackson Road in Wade, North Carolina. Cumberland County deputies responded to a 911 report of a possible overdose around 9:32 p.m. and discovered both had sustained fatal gunshot wounds; they were pronounced dead at the scene. The initial overdose call was later treated as a double homicide.

Authorities have not released information about suspects or motive. In April 2024 the Sheriff’s Office identified 49-year-old Kenneth Eldridge Coats of Godwin as someone they wanted to question; no arrest has been announced and his current status was not disclosed. Jennifer was remembered as a devoted wife and mother to their daughter, Catherine. A joint funeral was held and both were buried at Old Bluff Church Cemetery in Wade.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office Homicide Detective Senior Sergeant R. Brinkley at (910) 677-5503 or CrimeStoppers at (910) 483-TIPS (8477). Has anyone in the area heard or seen anything that could help this investigation?