HOUSTON – Two days after 32-year-old Kristen Chavez was allegedly killed by her husband, one of her four beloved dogs has also been found dead.
The dayslong search for Peaches, a dachshund, ended in tragedy late Friday as her family continues to seek justice. It’s not clear yet how Peaches died.
“She was very ambitious. Loved to help people. Very outgoing. She never met a stranger,” her mother Laura Bell said. “Always had a positive attitude.”
Kristen Chavez was a daughter, big sister, and paralegal, described as confident and determined.
“My sister was my best friend. You know, my ride or die,” her brother Devin Cervantes said.
What happened
On Wednesday morning, Kristen was found dead inside a home in a gated community on Emma Forest Street in northwest Houston.
Her husband, Chance Chavez, was arrested near their home. Investigators say he allegedly hit her in the head repeatedly with a clothing iron, which was found broken in two pieces near her body. The room also had several holes in the wall, according to court paperwork.
After the murder, the four dogs Kristen loved dearly were gone.
“She loved them like her children. So those are my grandkids or granddogs, I should say,” Bell said.
The family believes Chance dumped the dogs early Wednesday before police said he knocked on a neighbor’s door covered in blood, begging for help.
Three of the dogs were found by Thursday evening near the Katy Freeway and Greenhouse Road and have been reunited with Kristen’s family.
“We kept calling the number, trying to get in touch with the owner, not realizing the horror that had occurred,” said Susan Baggio, who runs Happy Faces Pet Ranch.
She was contacted when someone found one of the Australian Shepherds, which she took in and scanned for a microchip.
“I care very much about victims, whether they are human or animal,” Boggio said.
She tried to help Kristen’s family continue searching for Peaches, and together with Houston PetSet and Citizens for Animal Protection, planned to distribute fliers about the missing oldest dog.
The family was contacted late Friday at the end of an interview with KPRC 2 when they learned the news that Peaches had been found dead.
“It feels like a nightmare,” Cervantes said.
Despite the tragedy, Kristen’s family is determined to fight for the confident and determined woman they knew.
“Her greatest thing was learning and just growing and evolving into the woman she wanted to be,” Bell said.
Chance Chavez is being held on a $250,000 bond while in jail for murder, but Kristen’s family hopes for a higher bond or for it to be denied altogether.
The issue may be addressed during his first district court appearance on Monday.
Family and friends have also started a petition calling for Chavez’ bond to be increased.
