Disneyland Trip Ends in Horror: Mother Allegedly Kills Son, Knife and Merchandise Found

A family trip to Disneyland ended with a mother allegedly stabbing her 11-year-old son to death, authorities have confirmed.

Saritha Ramaraju, a 48-year-old mother, was arrested on March 19, 2025, after making a 911 call in the morning of March 19, claiming to have stabbed her son, Yatin Ramaraju, in a room at the La Quinta Inn & Suites in Santa Ana. Ramaraju also mentioned ingesting an unknown substance in an apparent suicide attempt.

Officers arrived on the scene to find the boy unresponsive, surrounded by Disneyland-themed merchandise. A kitchen knife was also found on the scene.

Mother Makes Chilling Confession to Police After Disneyland Visit

According to the Santa Ana Police Department, the boy was pronounced dead at the scene. The Orange County District Attorney‘s office later confirmed that it appeared Yatin had been deceased for several hours before his mother called 911.

Ramaraju was detained in the hallway and was transported to a hospital for evaluation. She was discharged from the hospital the following day and subsequently booked into the Santa Ana Jail. She was charged with one felony count of murder, along with a felony enhancement for the personal use of a knife.

If convicted, Ramaraju could face a sentence ranging from 26 years to life in prison.

Before the incident, Ramaraju and her son were on a court-approved custody visit, as Ramaraju had relocated from California following a 2018 divorce. During their stay, Ramaraju had purchased three-day Disneyland passes for herself and her son.

Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said: “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 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.”

A History of Tragedy Near Disneyland Resort

While this incident is among the most shocking in recent memory, it is not the first death linked to the Disneyland area. Just a few months ago, in December 2024, a 25-year-old man named Kenneth Swets was found dead in his car near the resort. He had suffered multiple gunshot wounds, and despite quick intervention by emergency responders, he was declared dead at the scene. Two individuals were arrested in connection with his death.

The Disneyland Resort itself is also no stranger to tragedy. In the 1980s, a teenager named Mel C. Yorba was fatally stabbed in the chest during a private party in Tomorrowland. This was the park’s first recorded homicide and remains a chilling reminder that even the most magical places can be the backdrop for real-world violence.