California – A California woman was taken into custody earlier this week and charged with the murder of her child, Yatan, aa. The incident occurred in a hotel room following a trip where the parent and her child had been spending time together during a scheduled cusstody visit.
At approximately 9:12 a.m. that morning, the mother, 48-year-old Saratha, contacted the authorities in California, reporting that she had killed her child and ingested pills in an attempt to end her life. Responding officers arrived to find the boy deceased, his throat sIit, and his body surrounded by souvenirs. A large kitchen knife, purchased the day prior, was discovered at the scene.
Following her hospitalization for the ingestion of unknown substances, the woman was released and taken into custody. She faces charges of one felony count of murder and one felony enhancement for personal use of a weapon, specifically a knife. If convicted, she could face a sentence ranging from 26 years to life in prison.
The investigation revealed that the mother and her son had been residing temporarily at the hotel during their visit. The trip was intended to allow the child to bond with his mother, who had relocated out of state following a divorce in 2018.
The family had obtained three-day passes to the theme park, aiming to maximize their time together. The excursion tragically culminated with the child’s death just hours before he was scheduled to return to his father.
District Attorney Tod condemned the act, emphasizing the tragic consequences of parental anger overshadowing responsibility towards their child. He stated, “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.
Anger can make 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 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.”
As the legal proceedings continue, the community remains shaken by the senseless loss of a young life, prompting discussions on the importance of addressing parental conflicts without compromising the well-being of children.