Person killed in San Jose arson fire identified as local marketing business owner

CBS News

17-07-2025

A San Jose business owner was identified as the person who died in an arson fire Sunday that destroyed the building where his company was located.
Family and friends identified the victim as 51-year-old Christopher Tran. His company, marketing firm BrandingOut, was one of two companies housed in a two-story building that burned early Sunday morning in the city's Roosevelt Park neighborhood
Firefighters were not able to search the building initially because of the risk of the building collapsing. On Monday, Tran's body was found inside the rubble of the building, and police arrested a suspect, identified as 35-year-old San Jose resident Yessenia Estrada.
On Wednesday, about a dozen of Tran's family and friends were at a San Jose courthouse for Estrada's scheduled arraignment, which was continued to Friday because she is on a psychiatric hold.
"I hurt, but I don't know how to explain how hurting I am right now," said his mother, Vicky Huynh. "Fifty-one years with him. Can I borrow your tears? Because no more tear. I'm numb."
Huynh said she talked to her son almost every day. He told her he was working late on Saturday night, preparing for an upcoming vacation.
Friends of Tran told CBS News Bay Area that they became concerned after not being able to reach Tran after the fire, and that he often worked late or overnight at his business. They described him as a hard worker and generous. In his spare time, he was an avid outdoorsman and runner.
Huynh said her son always responded to her calls or texts, so when he didn't answer after the fire, she got worried.
"Every minute, every second is like somebody is stabbing my heart, and my brain didn't know what to do," she said.
BrandingOut, which offers print and digital marketing services, posted a message on its Instagram account on Tuesday, saying the company "will be temporarily closed until further notice."
It was initially reported that there were no injuries in the fire until Tran's family members told police that he may have been inside.
"Family members of a victim responded to the scene, so that prompted a search for any potential victims inside of the structure," said San Jose Police Department spokesperson Officer Tanya Hernandez.
Witness accounts and surveillance footage led investigators to identify Estrada as a suspect and take her into custody. She is charged with involuntary manslaughter and felony arson.
Police confirmed that Estrada is unhoused. The incident was San Jose's 14th homicide of 2025.