New York: An Indian-origin woman, Saritha Ramaraju, has been allegedly charged with the murder of her 11-year-old son following a three-day trip to Disneyland during a custody visit.

The 48-year-old has been charged with one felony count of murder for slitting her son's throat, as well as one felony enhancement for personal use of a weapon, a knife. If convicted on all charges, she faces a maximum sentence of 26 years to life, according to a statement from the Office of the District Attorney, Orange County, California, released on Friday.

Saritha Ramaraju, who moved out of California after divorcing the boy’s father in 2018, was staying with her son at a motel in Santa Ana for a custody visit. During their time together, she purchased three-day passes to Disneyland for them.

However, on March 19, the day she was supposed to check out of the motel and return the child to his father, Ramaraju called 911 at 9:12 am. She reported that she had killed her son and had taken pills in an attempt to end her own life.

When Santa Ana police arrived at the motel, they found the young boy dead on the bed, surrounded by Disneyland souvenirs. Officers believe he had been dead for several hours before Ramaraju made the emergency call. A large kitchen knife, purchased the day before, was found inside the motel room.

Ramaraju was hospitalised after ingesting an unknown substance. She was released from the hospital on Thursday and was subsequently arrested on suspicion of murdering her son.

Prosecutor condemns the crime

Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer condemned the act in a strong statement.

“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,” Spitzer said.

“Anger makes 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 their son in love, she slit his throat and in the cruelest twist of fate removed him from the very world she brought him into.”

Ongoing custody battle

While officials have not publicly released the boy’s name, a report by NBC Los Angeles identified him as Yatin Ramaraju.

The report also revealed that Saritha Ramaraju had been locked in a custody battle with her ex-husband, Prakash Raju, since last year. She had accused him of making medical and educational decisions about their son without her input and claimed he had substance abuse issues.

Court papers show that Prakash Raju, who was born and raised in Bengaluru, India, was granted custody of their son after their divorce in January 2018, while Ramaraju received visitation rights.

According to court documents filed in November, Ramaraju had been living in Fairfax, Virginia, and was seeking to have her son live with her. She accused her former husband of having a “history of substance abuse issues” and claimed that he “gets very aggressive under the influence of alcohol, drugs, and smoke.” She further alleged that he had “severe control issues” and that their son was “very scared to talk to mother as he’ll get into trouble with dad.”

In response, Prakash Raju denied the accusations, stating that his ex-wife was “citing completely false and untrue abuse and substance abuse issues,” NBC Los Angeles reported.

Investigation continues

The Police are continuing their investigation into the case. Ramaraju remains in custody, awaiting trial.

PTI