11-year-old stabbed to death after Disneyland vacation during custody visitation, officials say
Mother charged with murder of 11-year-old son
A mother was charged with murder in the death of her 11-year-old. Officials in Orange County say the deadly stabbing happened after a 3-day trip to Disneyland during a custody visit.
SANTA ANA, Calif. - A woman was charged with murder after her 11-year-old son was fatally stabbed inside a hotel room in Santa Ana earlier this week.
The suspect, identified by authorities as 48-year-old Saritha Ramaraju, was also charged with child endangerment, torture and aggravated mayhem.
Haunting new details released: ‘Anger makes you forget who you love’
New details released :
Heartbreaking new details were released Friday by the Orange County District Attorney's Office.
Authorities said the 11-year-old victim was killed three days after going to Disneyland during a custody visitation. He was set to return to his father that day.
Instead, authorities found him stabbed to death on the motel's bed surrounded by Disneyland souvenirs.
The OC DA's office said Ramaraju moved out-of-state in 2018 and was in town for the custody visit.
Ramaraju had purchased three-day Disneyland tickets for the two of them.
Before the deadly stabbing, the DA's office said after she allegedly killed her son, she took the pills to kill herself.
A large kitchen knife was found inside the motel, which officials said she purchased the day before.
Investigators added it appeared the boy had been dead for hours before the mother called 911.
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What they're saying:
"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," said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer.
His released statement continued to read, "Anger makes 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 their son in love, she slit his throat and in the cruelest twist of fate removed him from the very world she brought him into."
Body-worn camera footage released: ‘She has blood on her hands’
Arrest footage released:
Video shows mom's arrest at OC hotel
Body-worn camera footage shows the moment a mother was handcuffed at a hotel in Santa Ana following her son's fatal stabbing.
On Friday, the Santa Ana Police Department released body-worn footage showing the moments of Ramaraju's arrest.
In the video, one of the arriving officers is heard saying, "She has blood on her hands," as the suspect is placed in handcuffs in the property's outdoor hallway.
Saritha Ramaraju (Santa Ana PD)
Woman tells authorities she stabbed son after ingesting unknown substance
The backstory:
On Wednesday, March 19, officers from the Santa Ana Police Department were called to the La Quinta Inn & Suites along Hotel Terrace, just before 9:15 a.m. The department received a call from a woman who reported she had stabbed and killed her son inside their hotel room.
She also told authorities she ingested an unknown substance.
Officers found her son responsive in the hotel room, suffering from apparent stab wounds. He was declared dead at the scene by personnel with the Orange County Fire Authority.
Ramaraju was taken to an area hospital to be evaluated.
She was released from the hospital the following day. Also on Thursday, Ramaraju was booked into the Santa Ana Jail and was charged with murder, child endangerment, torture and aggravated mayhem.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Mother taken into custody after 11-year-old son stabbed to death in Orange County hotel room
Authorities seek additional witnesses
What's next:
Ramaraju appeared in court on Friday, where a judge ordered she be kept in custody without bail. She'll next be in front of a judge on April 17.
Homicide detectives are hoping to find more witnesses who can provide more information about the deadly stabbing.
Those with information are asked to contact Santa Ana PD homicide detectives at 714-245-8390. There's also an option to submit tips online for those who wish to remain anonymous.
The Source: Information provided by the Santa Ana Police Department and the Orange County District Attorney's Office.