Irvine boy, 11, was with his mother on a custody visit when she tortured and killed him, police say
The Irvine mother who police say killed her 11-year-old son in a Santa Ana hotel was in a custody battle with his father, and the boy was with her on a visit when she killed and tortured him, according to police and court records.
The mother was identified as Saritha Ramaraju, 48. She was released from a hospital on Thursday, March 20 and arrested on suspicion of murder, torture, child endangerment, and aggravated mayhem.
On Wednesday morning, Ramaraju called 911 and confessed to killing her son, identified by authorities Thursday as Yatin Ramaraju, Santa Ana Police Officer Natalie Garcia said.
Yatin was found on a bed with multiple stab wounds in a room at La Quinta Inn, at 2721 Hotel Terrace. He was pronounced dead at the scene. KCAL TV reported there was a large kitchen knife in the hotel room, and that, according to police, the mother showed little emotion when she emerged from the room.
His father, who had full custody of the boy, had allowed Ramaraju to see him during visitation hours while the child was on spring break, Garcia said.
He was supposed to be returned to his father Wednesday around 6 p.m., she said.
Ramaraju was detained in the hotel hallway and hospitalized after telling authorities during the 911 call she had also ingested an unknown substance. It was later determined that she took upwards of 20 pills worth of Advil or Tylenol, police said.
Police said the woman’s last known residence was in Irvine and that she had been staying at the hotel for the past couple of weeks. Yatin was a student in the Irvine Unified School District.
Ramaraju had been in a custody battle with the boy’s father, Prakash Raju, since last year, when she accused him of making medical and school decisions without her input and alleged he had substance abuse issues, court records show.
Raju pleaded guilty June 21, 2023, to driving under the influence of alcohol and driving with a blood-alcohol content of .08% or more, both misdemeanors, and was placed on three years of informal probation.
His blood-alcohol level when he was arrested Sept. 4, 2022, was .25, more than three times the legal limit, according to the criminal complaint.
Raju had filed a motion requesting early release from the terms of probation as well as dismissal of his conviction, which was denied Feb. 7.
Raju said in court papers he was born and raised in Bengaluru, India, and works as a senior data architect at Irvine-based Panasonic Avionics Corp., a supplier of in-flight entertainment and communications.
He said he had “taken significant steps” to ensure he would never drive drunk again, including completing the court-mandated programs as part of his probation and personal counseling as well as abstaining from drinking alcohol. Raju asked for early release from probation to “advance professionally and contribute more effectively to society,” and that his criminal record was blocking a promotion in his field.
The couple divorced in January 2018 and the father was granted custody, with the mother receiving visitation, according to court records. After Ramaraju filed a motion seeking custody of their son late last year, they were ordered to go to mediation.
The mother was living in Fairfax, Virginia, and wanted her son to live with her, according to court papers filed in November. She wanted their son to stay with her for Thanksgiving and Christmas vacation, but Raju, after agreeing to it, changed his mind and wanted Yatin to stay in California.
She also accused him of refusing to provide any details of a recent hospital visit and that he changed schools for the boy without telling her. She said she found out when the boy’s previous school called her to inquire why he wasn’t going to class.
Ramaraju accused her ex-husband of a “history of substance abuse issues” and added he “gets very aggressive under the influence of alcohol, drugs and smoke.” She accused him of having “severe control issues” and that their son “is very scared to talk to mother as he’ll get into trouble with dad.”
She said Yatin “is very scared to behave normally” and … always feels like he is “walking on egg shells.”
Ramaraju also accused the father of leaving their son unattended for hours at a time.
Raju responded in court papers that they share joint legal custody and can obtain medical or school records “directly from the provider.”
He accused his ex-wife of “citing completely false and untrue abuse and substance abuse issues.”
After mediation the two agreed to let Ramaraju have their son for winter break with the father retaining primary physical custody.
Raju criticized his ex-wife’s parenting, saying she “has demonstrated a lack of commitment in parenting, as evidenced by her absence from her daughter Veda’s life for over 23 years — effectively abandoning her from a previous marriage. This concerning history leads me to fear that similar actions may adversely affect our son, Yatin, in the future.”
Raju said their son “thrives in a supportive community” in Orange County, “excels academically and actively participates in enriching extracurricular activities.”
He said during a summer break when the two went to Virginia, Ramaraju “suddenly refused to return him to California as we had agreed. She kept him for over a week after our agreed-upon return date and even attempted to unilaterally register him for school in Virginia without any type of notice, agreement or court order.”
Yatin missed the first week of school in Orange County because of it, he claimed.
“It was only after I was forced to involve law enforcement that she finally returned Yatin to California,” he said.
He also accused her of signing an application for a renewed passport for Yatin to visit family in India.
Raju said his ex-wife’s claims of neglect and substance abuse are “completely false and baseless. … I do not have a history of abusing alcohol or drugs as alleged by mother.”
He also said he has never been found guilty of “any criminal activity as alleged by mother.”
He denied their son was “scared” of his father.
“I did not fail to notify mother of Yatin’s new school,” he said in the court records. “I had moved into a new home, still in Orange County, and his school district changed. All of this occurred while mother was living in Virginia. I fully notified mother of Yatin’s new school and she was fully aware well before Yatin was enrolled.”
Yatin “has thrived — he is a healthy, happy and academically successful student who excels in extracurricular activities, including swimming, gymnastics and math,” Raju said.
Ramaraju was granted visitation with their son during spring break from Friday through Wednesday at 6 p.m.
Raju and other relatives could not be reached for comment on Thursday.
Staff writer Michael Slaten contributed to this report.