A Los Angeles mother allegedly drowned her 7-year-old daughter in a bathtub after falling into a deep depression in despair over her illegal status in the US, according to her fiancé.
The girl was found unconscious in the tub by first responders at her mother’s apartment in Van Nuys on Friday evening moments after a neighbor recalled hearing a child chillingly scream, “Mommy, please no!,” KABC reported.
Graciela Castellanos, 37, was arrested and later charged with murder after her daughter, whose name has not been released, was declared dead at the scene, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
Her fiancé, who asked not to be named, told KABC that he believes Castellanos was triggered into killing the girl after becoming depressed after learning she might not become a legal resident in the US.
Castellanos suffers from mental and emotional health problems, which at times forced her to isolate herself and scream until she calmed down — but she was never violent during the episodes, he said.
“First, I want to say that my wife was an almost perfect mom. She never said a bad word, yelled at the girl, didn’t hit her,” he said in Spanish.
“She was the sweetest mom in the world.”
They were due to be married in two months, and he planned to adopt her daughter, he said.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office told The Post they could not provide any information regarding Castellanos and her daughter’s immigration status.
Footage of the scene obtained by KTLA shows Castellanos, who appeared to have laceration injuries, being taken into custody in a wheelchair, her wrists restrained to the chair.
“The alleged facts of this case — where a mother is accused of intentionally taking the life of her young child — are profoundly tragic and deeply unsettling,” DA Nathan Hochman said in a statement.
“Our sympathy goes out to the family and loved ones of this young girl, whose life was cut short far too soon.”
Castellanos faces a maximum sentence of 25 years to life in prison, according to the district attorney. She is being held on $2 million bail and is scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on June 17.
