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A 7-year-old Rebecca Castellanos was allegedly drowned by her own mother in a horrifying incident in Los Angeles.
Rebecca was found unresponsive in the bathtub of an apartment on Sepulveda Boulevard on the evening of April 11. Emergency responders from the Los Angeles Police Department and paramedics rushed to the scene at around 5:40 p.m., but the young girl could not be saved.
A neighbor who was home at the time recounted the harrowing sounds of Rebecca’s final moments. “Mommy, please no. Mommy, please no,” the child screamed, according to eyewitnesses reported by ABC7.
The Los Angeles County Coroner later confirmed Rebecca’s cause of death as homicide by asphyxia due to neck compression and drowning.
A Family Shattered
The suspect, identified as 37-year-old Garcia Castellanos, was taken into custody shortly after the incident. Her fiancé, speaking anonymously, has shared insight into what might have driven the mother to this unthinkable act.
He revealed that Castellanos had been battling bipolar disorder and had recently plunged into deep despair over fears surrounding her immigration status. According to him, the stress of possibly never securing legal residency in the U.S. may have pushed her to the breaking point.
“First, I want to say that my wife was an almost perfect mom. She never said a bad word, never yelled at the girl, never hit her. She was the sweetest mom in the world,” he said in Spanish to Eyewitness News.
The fiancé described how Castellanos would sometimes isolate herself during emotional episodes but insisted she had never shown signs of violence before.
The grieving partner stated he arrived home around 7 p.m., nearly two hours after the alleged events. “I never got to the apartment and saw the girl, or her. It had already happened,” he said.
The couple had been planning to marry in just two months, and he had intended to formally adopt little Rebecca. Now, he says, he remains in shock and disbelief over the devastating loss.
The LAPD has yet to release further details about the circumstances leading up to the child’s death. Garcia Castellanos remains in custody with bail set at $2 million, as the investigation continues.
