Filicide Most Foul?: Indian American Woman Arrested On Charge of Killing Her 11-year-old Son in California Hotel
- Saritha Ramaraju, 48, who had been in a custody battle with the boy’s father, was stying at La Quinta Inn in Santa Ana, and was spending time with Yatin during his spring break.
An Indian American woman has been arrested and charged with the murder of her 11-year-old son in California. Saritha Ramaraju, 48, was arrested yesterday (March 20) after she was discharged from a hospital. She was in a hotel in Santa Ana with her son, Yatin, when the alleged incident occurred.
Ramaraju reportedly called the police a day before her arrest and confessed to killing her son. She was hospitalized because she disclosed on the 911 call that she had ingested an unknown substance, which was later determined that she took upwards of 20 pills worth of Advil or Tylenol, The Mercury News reported citing police.
When the police reached La Quinta Inn where Ramaraju was staying, they found Yatin on a bed with multiple stab wounds.. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The police found a large kitchen knife in the hotel room, KCAL TV reported. Citing police, the report added that Ramaraju “showed little emotion when she emerged from the room.”
Ramaraju had been in a custody battle with Yatin’s father, Prakash Raju, since last year, news reports said. The couple divorced in January 2018. The father was granted custody, with the mother receiving visitation.
For the past year, Ramaraju accused her ex-husband of “making medical and school decisions without her input and alleged he had substance abuse issues,” The Mercury News reported, citing court records. She filed a motion seeking custody of their son late last year, after which hey were ordered to go to mediation. “After mediation the two agreed to let Ramaraju have their son for winter break with the father retaining primary physical custody,” The Mercury News said.
Police said the woman’s last known residence was in Irvine and that she had been staying at the hotel for the past couple of weeks. Yatin was a student in the Irvine Unified School District. Raju, who had full custody of the boy, had allowed Ramaraju to see him while the child was on spring break. Yatin was supposed to be returned to his father on March 18 around 6 p.m., news reports said.
When she was living in Fairfax, Virginia, Ramaraju wanted her son to live with her, according to court papers filed in November. She wanted their son to stay with her for Thanksgiving and Christmas vacation, but Raju, after agreeing to it, changed his mind and wanted Yatin to stay in California.
At the time Ramaraju accused her ex-husband of a “history of substance abuse issues” and accused him of having “severe control issues,” The Mercury News reported. She also said their son “is very scared to talk to mother as he’ll get into trouble with dad.”
Raju, on the other hand, refuted the accusations and criticized his ex-wife’s parenting. He told the court that Ramaraju has been absence from her daughter Veda’s life for over 23 years, “effectively abandoning her from a previous marriage,: according to The Mercury News. This “concerning history” makes them worry for they son, he said. Raju said their son “thrives in a supportive community” in Orange County, “excels academically and actively participates in enriching extracurricular activities.”
Raju pleaded guilty June 21, 2023, to driving under the influence of alcohol and driving with a blood-alcohol content of .08% or more, both misdemeanors, and was placed on three years of informal probation. His blood-alcohol level when he was arrested Sept. 4, 2022, was .25, more than three times the legal limit, according to the criminal complaint. He ad filed a motion requesting early release from the terms of probation as well as dismissal of his conviction, which was denied Feb. 7. At the time, Raja told the court that he works as a senior data architect at Irvine-based Panasonic Avionics Corp., a supplier of in-flight entertainment and communications.