On a warm evening in South Bend, Indiana, the life of Kristina Marie Ortiz, a 37-year-old Hispanic/Latina woman, was tragically cut short. On June 7, 2025, while attending an outdoor birthday party with her young son near Southeast Neighborhood Park, gunfire erupted. Responding to the scene in the 500 block of Wenger Street, police discovered Kristina with a fatal gunshot wound to the head.
She was pronounced dead at the scene, an innocent victim caught in a senseless act of violence.
In the days that followed, the South Bend community mourned the loss of a woman remembered for her compassionate and nurturing spirit. Described as a natural caregiver, Kristina dedicated her life to helping others, especially those in need of extra support. Her kindness and outgoing personality left a lasting impact on everyone she met. Beyond her selflessness, she had a deep love for animals and found solace in creating arts and crafts. Her sudden and violent death left her family, including her son and numerous relatives, devastated.
The investigation into Kristina’s death was a meticulous process. Though many people were present at the gathering, few initially came forward with information. The South Bend Police Department's Violent Crimes Unit pieced together evidence, relying heavily on surveillance footage from the area. This footage helped investigators track a suspect vehicle, a dark blue car, before and after the shooting. They were able to identify two individuals, Jalil Aaron Wills and Nicholas Fairchild, from video taken at the University Park Mall prior to the incident. Authorities later determined that Kristina was not the intended target of the shooting.
A significant breakthrough in the case came from a search of Wills' Instagram account, where investigators found voice notes sent on June 10. In these notes, Wills allegedly admitted to firing a 'Gen 5' 9mm handgun and striking a woman in the head. He also mentioned that the gun was 'dirty' and needed to be traded, stating it was buried in a backyard. While a search of a residence associated with Fairchild uncovered a shovel near a freshly dug hole, the firearm was not recovered. Ballistics tests confirmed that shell casings from the scene were fired from a single Glock-type 9mm handgun and matched casings from other incidents allegedly involving Wills and Fairchild.
By mid-July, the St. Joseph County Prosecutor's Office announced charges against the two men, who were already incarcerated on unrelated matters. Jalil Aaron Wills, 21, was charged with murder and criminal recklessness for his alleged role as the shooter. Nicholas Fairchild, 23, faced a charge of assisting a criminal. The arrests brought a measure of progress for a grieving family and a community searching for answers in the wake of a tragic and random act of violence that claimed the life of Kristina Marie Ortiz.
