Palm Bay, FL – April 10, 2025 – Tiffini Dawn Fairchild, a 55-year-old woman accused of setting fire to her residence and killing her two dogs, has been arrested in connection with the April 3, 2025, incident at 3910 Dixie Hwy in Palm Bay, Florida. Fairchild faces charges of arson and two counts of animal cruelty, as confirmed by court records from Brevard County.
The arrest follows an investigation by the Palm Bay Police Department and the Bureau of Fire, Arson, and Explosives Investigations, which determined that Fairchild intentionally set fire to her home after drowning her two dogs in a bathtub. The fire, reported at approximately 4:00 a.m. on April 3, caused significant damage to the trailer, and the gruesome discovery of the dogs—found without burns or soot, indicating they were killed prior to the fire—shocked responding officers.
Court documents reveal two active cases against Fairchild. She is charged with two counts of cruelty to animals causing pain or suffering, stemming from the drowning of her dogs and one count of arson of a structure or conveyance, related to the intentional fire that destroyed her residence.
Detective Casey Rae of the Palm Bay Police Department, led the investigation and interviewed Fairchild shortly after the fire. In a sworn statement, Fairchild admitted to drowning her dogs and setting multiple fires throughout the home using lighter fluid. She further confessed to walking to nearby railroad tracks with the intent to commit suicide, a plan she did not follow through with. Witnesses later identified Fairchild near the tracks, approximately one mile from the scene, around 5:47 a.m. that morning.
