Why Indian-Origin Woman Killed Her 11-Year-Old Son During Disney Trip, Chilling Details Emerge

Washington DC: A 48-year-old Indian-origin woman has been charged for the murder of her 11-year-old son during a three-day Disneyland vacation.

Authorities report that Saritha Ramaraju has been accused of a single felony count of murder after she fatally slit her son’s throat. The incident occurred during a custody visit following their trip to the theme park.

The incident occured on March 19, the day she was due to check out of the motel and return her son to his father, however, Ramaraju instead dialled 911 at 9:12 a.m., confessing that she had killed her son and attempted suicide by ingesting pills.

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When Santa Ana police arrived, they discovered the boy’s lifeless body on a bed surrounded by Disneyland mementos. Authorities believe he had been deceased for several hours before the emergency call was made. That same day, he was supposed to be returned to his father’s care.

Inside the motel room, investigators found a large kitchen knife, purchased the previous day, believed to be the murder weapon. After being discharged from the hospital on Thursday following her ingestion of an unknown substance, Ramaraju was taken into custody for allegedly stabbing her son to death.

Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer remarked, "The life of a child should not hang in the balance between two parents whose anger for each other outweighs their love for their child." He added, "Anger makes you forget who you love and what you are responsible for doing. The safest place for a child should be in their parents' arms. Instead of wrapping her arms around their son in love, she slit his throat and in the cruelest twist of fate removed him from the very world she brought him into."

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Although the official statement Saritha Ramaraju had been embroiled in a custody dispute with her ex-husband, Prakash Raju, since the previous year. She had claimed he made unilateral decisions about their son’s medical care and education, and alleged he struggled with substance abuse.

Court documents cited by NBC revealed that Prakash Raju, originally from Bengaluru, India, had divorced Ramaraju in January 2018. Raju was awarded custody of their son, while Ramaraju was granted visitation rights. According to filings from November, she had been residing in Fairfax, Virginia, and sought to have her son live with her.

Ramaraju had accused Raju of having a "history of substance abuse issues," claiming he became "very aggressive under the influence of alcohol, drugs and smoke" and exhibited "severe control issues." She also alleged their son was "very scared to talk to mother as he'll get into trouble with dad." In response, Raju denied these claims, asserting that his ex-wife was "citing completely false and untrue abuse and substance abuse issues," per the NBC report.