San Jose woman booked into Santa Clara County Jail for murder and arson

article

SAN JOSE, Calif. - The San Jose Police Department say they have arrested a woman for murder and arson at a commercial building over the weekend.

Commercial building burns

What we know:

Police on Tuesday gave their detailed account of what happened early Sunday morning. They said officers with their department responded to a report of a structure fire on the 200 block of North 27th Street. Police said they learned the fire was an arson as investigators with the city's fire department responded to assist.

The fire department's post on social media said the incident began at 5:27 a.m.

As part of the preliminary investigation, it was learned that an employee, who was expected to be inside the building during the fire, was unaccounted for, police said.

Investigators couldn't make a full search of the premises for any potential victims because of structural instability. All indications showed that someone may have still been inside the burned building.

Suspect identified

The SJPD's homicide unit was also at the scene to help with the investigation. They were able to identify the arson suspect as Yessenia Estrada, 35, of San Jose. She was taken into custody on Monday and was booked into the Santa Clara County Jail for murder and arson.

Also on Monday, the police department's crime scene unit, along with the fire department's urban search and rescue team, were able to locate a victim's body from inside the burned structure. The identity of the victim will be released by the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner's Office.

The homicide and arson are still under investigation. No motive was given for this crime. Anyone with information is being asked to contact the police.

This marks the city's 14th homicide of 2025, police said.