Indian-origin woman slits son's throat after Disneyland trip amid custody battle

An Indian-origin woman, Saritha Ramaraju, has been charged with the murder of her 11-year-old son after taking him on a three-day Disneyland vacation during a custody visit. The 48-year-old mother allegedly slit the boy’s throat inside a Santa Ana motel and then called 911 to report the crime. She has been charged with one felony count of murder and an enhancement for using a deadly weapon, a large kitchen knife. If convicted, she could face a maximum sentence of 26 years to life in prison.

Ramaraju, who had been embroiled in a custody dispute with her ex-husband Prakash Raju since their 2018 divorce, had moved out of California but was granted visitation rights. During one such visit, she bought a three-day Disneyland pass for herself and her son and checked into a Santa Ana motel. On March 19, 2025, the day she was scheduled to return the boy to his father, she dialed 911 at 9:12 AM, confessing that she had killed her son and taken pills in an attempt to end her own life.

Santa Ana police arrived at the motel to discover the boy dead on the bed, surrounded by Disneyland souvenirs. The investigation revealed that he had likely been dead for several hours before his mother called the police. Officers also found a large kitchen knife, which had been purchased the previous day. Ramaraju was rushed to a hospital for treatment after ingesting an unknown substance but was discharged and arrested two days later.

Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer condemned the act, emphasizing how custody disputes should never come at the cost of a child’s life. "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. Instead of wrapping her arms around her son in love, she slit his throat and, in the cruelest twist of fate, removed him from the very world she brought him into," he stated.

Court documents indicate that the couple’s custody battle had intensified in 2024, when Ramaraju accused her ex-husband of substance abuse and controlling behavior. She alleged that he made key medical and school decisions for their son without her input and that their child was afraid to communicate with her due to fear of repercussions from his father. However, Raju denied these allegations, stating that his former wife was fabricating abuse claims to gain custody.

The young boy, identified in NBC Los Angeles reports as Yatin Ramaraju, had been living with his father after Prakash Raju won primary custody. Meanwhile, his mother, who had been residing in Fairfax, Virginia, sought to have him live with her permanently. The tragic incident has left the local community in shock, with legal proceedings now underway to determine the consequences for Ramaraju’s actions.