Santa Ana Police have arrested a 48-year-old woman for stabbing and killing her child.
On Wednesday, March 19, 2025, at approximately 9:12 a.m., Santa Ana Police Communications received a call from a woman who reported that she had stabbed and killed her son in a room at the La Quinta Inn & Suites in Santa Ana. She also stated that she had ingested an unknown substance.
Officers responded to the scene and detained 48-year-old Saritha Ramaraju of Irvine in the hotel hallway. She was then transported to a local hospital for evaluation. Inside a nearby hotel room,
officers found an unresponsive 11-year-old boy with apparent stab wounds. Orange County Fire Authority personnel arrived on scene and pronounced the child deceased.
On Thursday, March 20, 2025, Saritha was discharged from the hospital and booked into the Santa Ana Jail on charges of Penal Code § 187(a)–Murder, PC 273(a)–Child Endangerment, PC 206–Torture, and PC 205–Aggravated Mayhem.
Homicide detectives are working to identify and locate additional witnesses who may have information about this incident. Anyone with information is urged to contact SAPD Homicide Section Detectives at (714) 245-8390 or Orange County Crime Stoppers at 1-855-TIP-OCCS.
