A woman from Kansas who traveled to Mexico to receive treatment at a drug rehabilitation center in the border city of Ciudad Juárez was brutally murdered, according to local authorities.
Celia Yaneth Castaneda, 35, was taken to the rehab center by her relatives after she returned from the United States, where she had been living for the last 10 years and developed an addiction to drugs and alcohol.
Castaneda Beaten to Death After She Suffered 'Violent Episode'
On May 18, during her first night at the Monarch rehab center, Castaneda allegedly had a "violent episode" because of her withdrawal symptoms and attacked both of the owners—identified as Diana Paola and Claudia Rubi—according to news reports.
Paola and Rubi subsequently beat Castañeda to death in retaliation, and then tried to hide her dead body by cutting it into pieces, according to local authorities. The gruesome details emerged during a recent court hearing in Ciudad Juárez, where the judge read a police report describing the gruesome scene that unfolded at the property.
Paola and Rubi Told Castaneda's Family She Had Left the Rehab Facility
The following morning, her family received a call from Rubi, the clinic's director, saying that Castaneda had walked out under her own will hours after she had been registered. On May 19, police initiated a search and visited the clinic, where they discovered traces of blood in the kitchen and two rooms where the patients rested.
That same day, neighbors in the Ciudad Juárez neighborhood of Cuauhtémoc called 911 to make a noise complaint, indicating they had heard the loud sounds of music, a power saw and "a chair falling and breaking."
Police visited the property and found a pajama set and slippers covered in blood stains. Paola received the cops at the door, and along with Rubi, dodged police questions. The pair, who have been dating each other, ran out of the home but were arrested immediately in the backyard.
Buckets Filled with Bones, Blender with Human Flesh Among Gruesome Evidence
Authorities then found plastic buckets filled with human bones and flesh in the bathtub, along with plastic bags containing six large bones and two knee bones, according to the court hearing. After searching the kitchen, investigators found a blender containing human flesh. The suspects had reportedly attempted to liquefy the victim's genitalia, along with other soft body tissues and intestines, according to local news reports.
During the hearing, the judge said he withheld from disclosing even more graphic details in order to preserve the dignity of the victim."For the sake of not re-victimizing the victim, for the sake of her dignity, I will not go on," the judge said, after reading the police report.
The women now face 41 to 80 years in prison for the aggravated femicide of Celia Yaneth Castañeda. An autopsy revealed the woman died of blunt force trauma to the head.
The judge ruled a gender bias applies because the women took advantage of a person under their care, someone who was vulnerable because of her illness, and that they likely would not have done the same to a man. Also, "there was a high level of cruelty and hate" against a female and they defaced her body after the killing, Meraz said during Friday's hearing.
