NRI PULSE STAFF REPORT
Santa Ana, CA, March 22, 2025: In a tragic incident in Orange County this week, Saritha Ramaraju, 48, was charged with the murder of her 11-year-old son, Yatin Ramaraju after authorities discovered the young boy’s body in a Santa Ana hotel room on March 19, just days after he and his mother had visited Disneyland.
According to the Santa Ana Police Department, Saritha called 911 from the La Quinta Inn & Suites, reporting that she had killed her son. Officers arrived to find Yatin’s lifeless body on the hotel bed, his throat slit. Surrounding him were Disneyland souvenirs, mementos from their trip. Investigators recovered a large kitchen knife at the scene, which Saritha had allegedly purchased the previous day.
Saritha had been visiting California as part of a custody arrangement that allowed her to spend time with Yatin, who lived with his father following the couple’s 2018 divorce. She was scheduled to return him to his father on the day of the incident. Instead, she was found unresponsive in the hotel room, having ingested pills in an apparent suicide attempt.
After receiving medical treatment, Saritha was taken into custody and is now facing charges of murder and the personal use of a deadly weapon. If convicted, she could face up to 26 years to life in prison. She is currently being held without bail and is scheduled to appear in court on April 17.
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer expressed outrage over the case, stating, “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.”
The community has been shaken by the tragedy, with many expressing grief over the loss of the young boy. Authorities continue to investigate the circumstances leading up to the incident as the legal proceedings move forward.
