Yolanda Santos, a 46-year-old woman of Hispanic ethnicity, tragically lost her life on July 4, 2014, in Dayton, Texas. She was shot in the parking lot of the Double "B" Oaks Club, where she worked, around 10:15 p.m. Witnesses reported seeing a white male standing over Santos, firing several shots before fleeing the scene with another man in a gray Dodge pickup truck. Santos was taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston, where she was pronounced dead.
The investigation led to the arrest of two brothers, Bobby Smith, 51, and Tracy Lee Thorn, 56, who were charged with her murder. Smith was identified as the shooter, and a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun believed to be the murder weapon was recovered from his vehicle. Both Smith and Thorn were held in the Liberty County jail, but they refused to cooperate with investigators, preventing them from being brought before a judge for bond.
During the trial, Smith claimed that he had gone to the bar to confront individuals he believed were responsible for an attack on him the previous year. He testified that he had a pistol with him, which he had forgotten about, and that a struggle ensued with Santos over the weapon, leading to the fatal shots. Despite his testimony, Smith was found guilty by a jury verdict on April 30, 2015. Charges were also pending against Thorn, who was implicated in the incident.
The case was investigated by Liberty County Sheriff’s Sgts. Brian Bortz and Josh Cummins, who sought additional information from club customers to help determine a motive for the shooting. However, no logical explanation for the shooting was found, as Santos was well-liked and there was no known argument or confrontation prior to the incident.
Yolanda Santos' death left a profound impact on her community, and her funeral services were held on July 9, 2014, at the Pace Stancil Funeral Home Chapel in Dayton.
