A Pennsylvania woman has been charged with murdering her boyfriend’s 2-year-old son more than three decades after the toddler turned up dead.
Sandra Guadalupe-Castro is facing counts of first-degree and third-degree murder, the Berks County District Attorney’s Office announced on Wednesday. It marks some resolve in the nearly 33-year-old case, which was reopened earlier this year under Berks County District Attorney John Adams’ Cold Case Initiative, NBC 10 reported.
On Jan. 8, 1993, authorities were called to a residence in Reading, on the 1000 block of Franklin Street, where they found a 2-year-old boy suffering from head injuries as well as bruises, which appeared to be in various stages of healing. He was rushed to an area hospital for emergency care, but was pronounced dead a short time later. His death was ultimately ruled a homicide.
At the time, the boy had lived with his father and his father’s girlfriend, who police identified as now-57-year-old Guadalupe-Castro. Despite a lengthy investigation, authorities were unable to uncover enough evidence to identify and charge a suspect in connection with the boy’s death.
Upon reopening the case, police consulted with forensic pathologists, who determined the boy suffered his injuries shortly before he died. This allowed for them to focus on a smaller timeframe, which eventually brought them to Guadalupe-Castro. Authorities said she alone cared for the boy in the hours before he was found dead.
Authorities arrested Guadalupe-Castro on Monday and she remains behind bars at the Berks County Jail. She’s due back in court on Oct. 17.
