A California woman is behind bars after her daughter’s lifeless body was discovered in the bathtub at their apartment. A spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department tells PEOPLE that officers took Graciela Castellanos, 37, into custody on April 11 after responding to a report of a homicide.
Officers arrived at the Castellanos’ Van Nuys home shortly after 5:00 p.m. that evening to find “a 7-year-old female victim unresponsive in the bathtub,” said the spokesperson. Members of the Los Angeles Fire Department were also present at the apartment that evening, and declared the child dead at the scene.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner has identified the girl as Rebecca Castellanos. An initial autopsy found the cause of death to be asphyxia due to neck compression and drowning, and the manner of death to be homicide.
The girl’s mother’s fiancé, who discovered the body, said in an interview with KABC that Castellanos struggled with her mental health. He also said that Castellanos had recently gone into a deep depression over fears she might be deported from the country.
“First, I want to say that my [fiancée] was an almost perfect mom. She never told a bad word, yelled at the girl, didn’t hit her,” he said of Castellanos. “She was the sweetest mom in the world.” He also said the two were planning to marry in a few months and that he planned to adopt Rebecca.
Officers took Castellanos into custody without incident on April 11, according to the agency’s spokesperson, and jail records show she was booked into the LAPD Valley Jail in the early morning hours of April 12.
Castellanos’ bail is currently set at $2 million. She is scheduled to make her first court appearance on the morning of Tuesday, April 15. If you or someone you know needs mental health help, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.
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