In the small community of Webb, Alabama, the life of 72-year-old Jolaine S. Chandler came to a tragic end on Friday, December 29, 2023. A lifelong resident of the area and a retired Houston County Board of Education school bus driver, her death unfolded in a shocking series of events that left her husband injured and their home engulfed in flames.
Emergency crews were initially dispatched to the Chandler residence on the 1000 block of Webb to Kinsey Road for a house fire.
Upon their arrival, firefighters discovered a person in the backyard suffering from what appeared to be gunshot wounds. That individual was identified as Edgar Chandler, Jolaine's 75-year-old husband.
Investigators later determined that Jolaine Chandler had shot her husband three times inside their home before setting fires in four different locations throughout the house. After starting the blaze, she went into the backyard and took her own life. Edgar Chandler was transported to a hospital for treatment of gunshot wounds to his right arm, right hip, and stomach, with injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening.
In the wake of the incident, family members informed investigators that Jolaine Chandler had been exhibiting early signs of dementia. The Houston County Sheriff's Office confirmed the case was being investigated as an attempted murder and suicide.
