On Thanksgiving Day, November 24, 2023, two sisters, 43-year-old Merced Andrade Bailon and 47-year-old Catalina Valdez Andrade, were fatally shot in their Farmers Branch, Texas home.
The suspect, 50-year-old Jose Santiago Chairez, faces charges of capital murder of multiple persons and aggravated assault causing bodily injury to a family member. Chairez’s daughter was also found at the scene with a gunshot wound to her arm and identified her father as the shooter. The nature of the relationship between Chairez, his daughter, and the victims is currently unclear.
The Farmers Branch Police Department responded to the scene in the 13200 block of Castleton Place around 4:20 a.m., where they discovered the sisters, both of whom had suffered fatal gunshot wounds to the head.
Chairez is now detained at the Dallas County jail, with a bond set over $2 million. However, he is subject to an immigration hold, which bars his release. It is believed that the suspect is in the country illegally.
A GoFundMe campaign, organized by Jasmin Bailon, a relative of the victims, has been established to support funeral and memorial expenses. She described the sisters as “best friends & beautiful individuals who loved their family & were so devoted to them.” The campaign has raised over $19,000 towards a $25,000 goal.
A motive for the crime has not yet been disclosed.