A migrant mom in Los Angeles has been arrested and charged with murder after allegedly drowning her 7-year-old daughter in a bathtub, which her fiancé said was triggered by her fears over her immigration status. Because, as we all know, the very first thing anyone would do after realizing they might not get to stay in the country they've likely been illegally squatting would be to...kill their kid.
Graciela Castellanos, 37, was taken into custody and hauled out of her apartment on a stretcher last month after police responded to a call from a neighbor who’d reported hearing the little girl screaming "Mommy, please no!" The cops found 7-year-old Rebecca Castellanos unresponsive in the tub and were unable to revive her, pronouncing her dead at the scene. An autopsy performed by the Los Angeles County medical examiner showed the little girl had died from asphyxia due to neck compression and drowning.
Castellanos’ fiance, who asked not to be named, told ABC7 in Spanish that Castellanos was “an almost perfect mom,” but that she suffers from “mental and emotional health issues” and had fallen into “a deep depression after she found out she might not become a legal resident.” Which, apparently, means the next step would be drowning your own child in a bathtub, or something.
After scouring both local and national news outlets that have covered this story, I've been unable to find a single one that labels Castellanos an illegal alien, nor do any of them provide her photo or give specific details as to her legal status. While the lack of clarity here means she could have been living in the U.S. on a legal visa while seeking permanent legal residency, the odds are far greater that she is an illegally present alien, based on her partner's description.
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Castellanos has plead “not guilty” to charges of murder and assault on a child under 8 years old causing death, and is currently being held on a $2 million bail.