7-year-old girl found dead in apartment bathtub, CA officials say. Mom charged
A mother accused of drowning her 7-year-old daughter has been charged, California prosecutors say.
Graciela Xiomara Castellanos, 37, was charged with multiple felony counts in the death of her daughter, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said in an April 15 news release.
“The alleged facts of this case — where a mother is accused of intentionally taking the life of her young child — are profoundly tragic and deeply unsettling,” District Attorney Nathan Hochman said in the release. “Our sympathy goes out to the family and loved ones of this young girl, whose life was cut short far too soon.”
Castellanos is accused of drowning her daughter at their Van Nuys apartment April 11, prosecutors said.
Officer David Cuellar, a Los Angeles Police Department public information officer, told the Los Angeles Times that officers responded to the apartment shortly before 6 p.m. and found the girl “unresponsive in the bathtub.”
First responders pronounced the girl dead on scene, according to prosecutors.
The County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner determined the girl died from asphyxia due to neck compression and drowning and ruled her death a homicide, records show.
Castellanos was arrested on scene, police said, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Police told KTTV the girl lived at the apartment with her mother and a man who called 911 after finding the child.
Castellanos is facing “one felony count of murder and one felony count of assault on a child under 8 years old causing death,” prosecutors said.
At her arraignment, Castellanos pleaded not guilty, prosecutors said.
Castellanos, who is being held on $2 million bail, is scheduled to appear in court June 17, prosecutors said.
If she’s found guilty on all counts, prosecutors said Castellanos could get a maximum prison sentence of 25 years to life.
This story was originally published April 16, 2025 at 12:09 PM with the headline "7-year-old girl found dead in apartment bathtub, CA officials say. Mom charged."
