A California woman is facing charges of murder and felony enhancement of personal use of a weapon after allegedly killing her 11-year-old son during a custody visit. Saritha Ramaraju, 48, is accused of using a large kitchen knife to end her son’s life in a hotel room at La Quinta Inn & Suites in Santa Ana on March 19, according to Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer.
Spitzer expressed his dismay at the tragic incident, stating that a child should feel safest in their parents’ arms. He lamented that instead of embracing her son with love, Ramaraju allegedly took his life in a cruel twist of fate.
Ramaraju, who resides out of state, was in California for a three-day custody visit with her son. She and the boy’s father are divorced, and Spitzer suggested that unresolved issues between the parents may have contributed to the tragic outcome. He emphasized that a child’s life should not be jeopardized by the animosity between parents.
Ramaraju, a former resident of Irvine, moved out of California in 2018 following her divorce. She was staying at the La Quinta Inn in Santa Ana for her custody visit. During her stay, she purchased three-day passes to Disneyland for herself and her son.
On the day she was scheduled to check out of the motel and return the boy to his father, Ramaraju called 911 to report that she had killed her son and attempted suicide by ingesting pills. When police arrived at the scene, they found a large kitchen knife in her room and discovered that the boy had been dead for several hours.
Ramaraju was arrested on suspicion of murder and hospitalized due to the ingestion of an unknown substance. Following her release from the hospital, she was charged and arraigned in Orange County. If convicted on all charges, Ramaraju could face a maximum sentence of 26 years to life in prison.