Found Deceased CA - Rachel Castillo 25, At Risk, suspicious circumstances, significant blood found in home, Simi Valley, 10 Nov 2022

[FruitTingles]

Yes, I’m curious why she would text then too. That’s something that DV victims do sometimes with custody drop off and pick up’s. Ugh… this is a really bad situation. I so hope they find her alive and charge the person responsible asap.

Hmm, if it was a DV situation with the ex - would her family not try to ensure someone was with her at all custody hand-overs? Just throwing out a different thought. JMO

 

[caradana]

I can think of few situations where I’d value a retired FBI father more. Good for all involved for pressing hard into this search.

 

[emberglade]

I "walked" round Country Club Drive on GMaps, looking for security cams - (apartments match image in one of the articles with the roofed car parking areas). Couldn't really see any cameras, only saw what looked like lights. Seems like a nice area.
As to getting Rachel out, maybe they "persuaded" her by saying they'd get her to hospital - or snuck her out in a holdall (thinking of Orsolya Gaal) - sorry for the mental image, she's small and light, so that could be possible

Missing mother of 2 found dead, ex-husband named primary suspect: Police

Rachel Castillo disappeared last week under suspicious circumstances from her home in Simi Valley, California.

abcnews.go.com

Moo

bbm

On the cam angle; I live in a complex next to other complexes and with how our "cameras" are set up (one by the bins), you can get in or out without even being on the same side of the building as it. Only one person here has a ring camera and that's because management didnt give them a peephole when they replaced the door

But that means there could be virtually no cameras on her which is so. Frustrating.

But their neighborhood seems nicer than mine....

Moo and not too important but its suprising how easy it would be to break into our complex (or climb onto our balcony and steal a bike!) without being seen

 

[Rosegold68]

who else lives in that building? if she works from home other relationships may have developed from other residents maybe?

 

[FruitTingles]

She added that Rachel dropped her sons off with their father earlier that morning. That was planned and they said they have no reason to believe he would've hurt her.

Simi Valley family desperate for answers after mother of 2 vanishes, leaving bloody scene at home

A Simi Valley family is desperate for answers after their loved one -- a mother of two children -- disappeared and left behind a bloody scene at her home.

abc7.com

I’m not sure but I’m not thinking the ex has anything to do with this. I would expect they are looking in to any connection to the volunteer work she does with DV victims. Perhaps an angry ex there? IMO I think that is possibly going to be related. Or perhaps a neighbour? Maybe someone who has been watching her for a while? JMO.

 

[Marysmith]

Hmm, if it was a DV situation with the ex - would her family not try to ensure someone was with her at all custody hand-overs? Just throwing out a different thought. JMO

I get that. These situations are hard and often people are not protected by the courts or LE so people have to come up with their own assistance. Of course we don’t know if this was even the case or if she was just texting her mother for another reason and just happened to tell her she had dropped her children off.

 

[curiouser_]

She added that Rachel dropped her sons off with their father earlier that morning. That was planned and they said they have no reason to believe he would've hurt her.

Simi Valley family desperate for answers after mother of 2 vanishes, leaving bloody scene at home

A Simi Valley family is desperate for answers after their loved one -- a mother of two children -- disappeared and left behind a bloody scene at her home.

abc7.com

I’m not sure but I’m not thinking the ex has anything to do with this. I would expect they are looking in to any connection to the volunteer work she does with DV victims. Perhaps an angry ex there? IMO I think that is possibly going to be related.

Yes. I don’t believe the father of her children did this.

 

[RaspberryMama]

Her stuff is still there, her car is still there... Did she leave the apartment complex at all? Could this have been someone who lives there? She could be in another apartment. That would explain no one seeing her leave. I hope LE searches the entire building.

 

[vls12345]

Was a tracker dog brought in?

Was there blood anywhere outside?

 

[Knox]

Yes. I don’t believe the father of her children did this.

He'll of course need to be cleared, just like any others she may have been dating. In one MSM article, her family said she was not "dating anyone seriously".

So far the suspect pool is wide open - soon to be ex, those she may have been casually dating, someone known to her, neighbor, someone who worked at the complex, or a virtual stranger/stalker. Hopefully LE is making steady progress exploring Rachel's digital footprint and has plenty of video footage to review for clues.

 

[margarita25]

Interview with mom and sister:

 

[MntnHiker]

Very disturbing and frightening. Watching the video in post 51, I'm assuming that's her actual apartment they are filming. If so, it appears she is ground level, with a balcony you could easily hop the railing over and a sliding glass door to enter the apartment. I haven't read anywhere that there was any signed of forced entry, but sometimes people forget to lock things like a sliding balcony door. It also seems like it would be easy (when the blinds were open) to see right inside the apartment without being seen by the occupants.

Of course, if the perp is someone she knows, maybe someone from her personal life or a fellow tenant in this apartment building, they may have just knocked right on the front door and been let in MOO

 

[katydid23]

It seems that apparently there are no signs of forced entry----. So, is it someone she knows? Maybe someone from the apartment complex?

I also worry about her job connections. If she has been helping DV victims escape their attackers, that can anger a lot of scary people.

 

[Lyanna]

Simi Valley police seek help with search for missing woman; prayer service tonight

The Simi Valley Police Department is asking for the public's help after a woman was reported missing and blood was found at her home.

news.yahoo.com

 

[vls12345]

Her mom broke my heart in that video.

What was the amount of time from when the ex saw her until her sister got home?

Were there any other communications from her during that window? Texts, calls, emails, work stuff she did...?

Someone mentioned no sign of forced entry but I hadn't seen that mentioned. Has LE said that?

Was the blood near the door or any other exit point? Was there any blood (or drops) found outside anywhere near there? On the sidewalk, the bushes, the parking lot?

What does it require to bring a dog in?

MOO.

 

[Knox]

Her mom broke my heart in that video.

What was the amount of time from when the ex saw her until her sister got home?

Were there any other communications from her during that window? Texts, calls, emails, work stuff she did...?

Someone mentioned no sign of forced entry but I hadn't seen that mentioned. Has LE said that?

Was the blood near the door or any other exit point? Was there any blood (or drops) found outside anywhere near there? On the sidewalk, the bushes, the parking lot?

What does it require to bring a dog in?

MOO.

Neither LE nor Family has mentioned whether the door was locked/unlocked or if there were signs of forced entry.
The rest of your questions are also largely unanswered or times aren't specifically stated. I do think the sister said she got home around 8:30 Thursday evening.

In cases like this, I think LE sometimes remains silent in order to protect the victim. I've not seen any mention of updates or a press conference from SVPD.

 

[katydid23]

I have faith that her father will keep the pressure on and help bring in necessary resources to find answers quickly.

I did lose some faith in Simi LE after that teen killed his uncle, and it was so obvious, and it still took a long time before he was finally arrested. ...I'm getting old so names escape me :-[

 

[otto]

Her mom broke my heart in that video.

What was the amount of time from when the ex saw her until her sister got home?

Were there any other communications from her during that window? Texts, calls, emails, work stuff she did...?

Someone mentioned no sign of forced entry but I hadn't seen that mentioned. Has LE said that?

Was the blood near the door or any other exit point? Was there any blood (or drops) found outside anywhere near there? On the sidewalk, the bushes, the parking lot?

What does it require to bring a dog in?

MOO.

Linked upthread ... comment #23 ... eleven hours since last seen by sister.

She texted her mom earlier in the day that the children were transferred to their father. No specific time given.


"Castillo was last seen by her sister, Emily, at 9:30 a.m. Thursday at the apartment where they lived with Castillo’s two sons. Relatives told KABC that Castillo dropped the boys off with their father at some point during the day. When Emily Castillo returned home around 8:30 p.m Thursday, she saw the blood and called 911."

 

[NeverPersonal]

Family of missing mom calling on Simi community for help (simivalleyacorn.com)
Rachel Castillo is studying to become a therapist. She also does work for a nonprofit.

“Her job is to help people sign up for Medi-Cal and get resources,” Robyn Castillo said. “She loves to help people”

Rachel grew up in Simi Valley and graduated from La Reina High School in Thousand Oaks.

She and the father of her children are in the process of divorcing and they are co-parenting.

On the day of her disappearance, her two sons were at their father’s house.

“It was dad’s weekend and he had picked them up in the morning as planned,” Robyn Castillo said. “We’re very close.”

On Friday, police said they were trying to identify who the blood found at Castillo’s home belongs to through DNA testing.

Castillo’s family and her ex-husband are all working with authorities in the hope to get answers, police said.

Simi Valley Police Detective Casey Nicholson said investigators were also following up on social media leads and that everything is “fair game” at this point in the search for clues.

“We’re not going to rule out foul play. We don’t have a specific crime as of right now but certainly under those circumstances we are going to take a worst-case scenario approach,” Nicholson said Friday.

Search is on for Simi Valley mom after blood found in home - Los Angeles Times (latimes.com)

i recommend searching her name on social media, as more details are shared there by her family members IMO.

 

[RaspberryMama]

Any news on when / why that black eye photo was taken? What were the circumstances around that? If she was hit, that person would be the obvious place to start, imo.