Fresno teen had been trafficked to East Bay before she was killed on Oakland streets, police say

OAKLAND — It’s been more than a year since 19-year-old Janessa Nezbeth was shot and killed nearly 200 miles from the city she called home, and still there are no answers.

But there’s one thing authorities say they’ve been told repeatedly: Nezbeth was being trafficked around the Bay Area, and had been harassed and threatened by multiple men before she was killed. One of them allegedly poured juice on her days before her death, about two blocks from the area where she was gunned down. Another had threatened her over an unpaid debt, authorities said.

Thus far, none of the suspects investigated by police have panned out. The FBI has even joined the investigation after receiving a tip that an underground California rapper had somehow been involved with her death.

Nezbeth was found suffering from a gunshot wound around 9:16 p.m. May 11 on the 1200 block of 17th Avenue, near International Boulevard. Authorities say they haven’t confirmed whether she was shot at the same location or moved by her killer and dumped there.

Police were able to identify Nezbeth from her college student ID card.

Nezbeth was one of two people shot and killed in Oakland that day. At about 11:52 p.m., a 30-year-old man was found shot to death outside in the 600 block of 16th Street in the Uptown district. About 45 minutes before that, in another part of town, a man was shot in the leg and survived.

Investigators say they received several tips about the killing, related to human trafficking in the area. One of her alleged exploiters was said to have taken her from Fresno to Pittsburg, and later threatened to harm her over money, authorities said.

The rapper had allegedly been harassing Nezbeth and poured juice on her days before she was killed, at another part of International Boulevard, authorities said. In June 2026, the 25-year-old Ukiah resident was charged with beating and pulling the hair of a woman, at around 3 a.m. on 18th Avenue and International Boulevard.

In Fresno, Nezbeth’s loss is still being felt. Weeks before the one-year anniversary of her death, loved ones organized a basketball tournament in her honor. A Facebook post about the tournament, by a relative, notes that, “her calling was to bring people together and she still is doing that even in her death.”

Anyone with information about the homicides may call investigators at 510-238-3821 or 510-238-7950. Anyone with information about the non-fatal shooting may call police at 510-238-3426.