A California mother has been charged with the brutal murder of her 11-year-old son, who was found stabbed to death in a hotel room just hours after the pair returned from a trip to Disneyland. The child’s body was reportedly discovered surrounded by souvenirs from their visit, according to law enforcement officials.
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Mother Called 911 to Report the Killing
According to a press release from the Santa Ana Police Department and the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, 48-year-old Saritha Ramaraju has been charged with one count of murder and one count of personally using a deadly weapon. If convicted on all charges, she faces a maximum sentence of 26 years to life in prison.
Authorities say the chilling discovery was made on the morning of March 19, when Ramaraju called 911 at approximately 9:10 a.m. and confessed to stabbing her son, Yatin Ramaraju, inside their room at La Quinta Inn & Suites in Santa Ana, California.
When officers arrived, they found the young boy’s throat slit as he lay on the hotel room bed, surrounded by Disneyland souvenirs. A large kitchen knife, which investigators say Ramaraju had purchased the day before, was recovered from the scene.
“It appeared the boy had been dead for several hours before his mother called 911,” officials said.
Murder Followed Three-Day Disneyland Trip
According to investigators, Ramaraju and her son had spent three days at Disneyland together before the tragedy. The trip occurred during a scheduled custody visit, as Ramaraju and the boy’s father had divorced in 2018. After the separation, Ramaraju moved out of state but was visiting California for her time with Yatin.
She was expected to return him to his father on the same day she allegedly killed him.
Attempted Suicide After Alleged Murder
Following her 911 call, Ramaraju was transported to a hospital after claiming that she had ingested an unknown substance in an attempt to take her own life. Authorities later confirmed that she had taken pills in an apparent suicide attempt.
She was discharged from the hospital and taken into custody, where she now remains at the Santa Ana jail without bail.
District Attorney Condemns the Act
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer strongly condemned the crime in a statement, emphasizing the devastating impact of parental disputes on children.
“The life of a child should not hang in the balance between two parents whose anger for each other outweighs their love for their child,” Spitzer said.
“Anger can make you forget who you love and what you are responsible for doing. The safest place for a child should be in their parents’ arms. Instead of wrapping her arms around her son in love, she slit his throat and, in the cruelest twist of fate, removed him from the very world she brought him into,” he added.
Ongoing Investigation and Court Proceedings
Authorities have not disclosed any potential motive behind the killing, and it remains unclear why Ramaraju allegedly carried out such a horrific act.
She is scheduled to appear in court for her next hearing on Thursday, April 17.
The investigation is ongoing, and officials are urging anyone with additional information to contact the Santa Ana Police Department.