A mother in California has been accused of strangling and drowning her 7-year-old daughter in their bathtub, with neighbors reporting hearing the child scream, “Mommy, please no!” just before her alleged murder, which her fiance claims was fueled by the woman’s depression and fears about her immigration status.
Graciela Castellanos, 37, was allegedly suffering from mental health issues and was concerned that she would be deported due to her legal status, her fiance tells local ABC affiliate KABC, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
The man, who is not Castellanos’ daughter’s father, described Castellanos as a “almost perfect mom” who never harmed or said “a bad word” to the child, according to KABC.
“She was the sweetest mom in the world,” the fiance said, describing how he arrived at the apartment after the cops were called, though it is unclear who called. “I never got to the apartment and saw the girl, or [Castellanos],” the man told KABC. “I came home after everything had happened. This occurred at 4 p.m. or 5 p.m., and I arrived home at nearly 7 p.m.,” he stated.
Last Friday, April 11, at around 5:40 p.m., Los Angeles police officers and paramedics discovered Rebecca Castellanos unresponsive in the bathtub of an apartment in the 6800 block of Sepulveda Boulevard. She was later pronounced dead at the scene by emergency personnel.
According to KABC, a neighbor who spoke with the outlet and requested anonymity said she heard the child scream before the police arrived. Castellanos’ fiance claims she has mental and emotional health issues, which cause her to scream and isolate herself until she calms down. But she has never been violent in the past, he insisted.
The man said he believed Castellanos was ultimately motivated by fears that she would not be allowed to become a US citizen and would be deported as a result.
Her daughter’s death comes as immigration and deportations remain a contentious issue in the United States and federal courts, following President Trump’s decision to deport people under an 18th-century wartime authority.
The medical examiner determined Rebecca died from asphyxiation caused by neck compression and drowning.
Castellanos is expected to face charges of murder, and her bail has been set at $2 million.
