Slain woman's life held tragedy: Child Protective Services?

Slain woman's life held tragedy
Family, friends say she battled mental illness.
By Chelsea Phua - Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:00 am PDT Friday, July 27, 2007

http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/294827.html

Alexandra Marie Cerda often walked the streets of her south Sacramento
neighborhood. Sometimes, she stopped by the Fast Stop Food Store at
Fruitridge Road and Wilkinson Street. Some days, she stood at a bus stop
near Fruitridge and Power Inn roads, waiting for a bus to take her to
her favorite shopping destination, Florin Mall. Her mail went to a post
office box on Florin Road.

Strangers thought she was homeless. When her body was found July 9 near
the Sacramento River in Yolo County, authorities described her as a
39-year-old transient woman.

But Alexandra Marie Cerda's life story wasn't what many thought it was.
She was connected to family and friends. The full narrative of her life
spanned joys, sorrows and the everyday details that fill an ordinary
life. It also held unfathomable tragedy.

What many people don't know is that at one point, she owned a home on
Wilkinson Street. Or that she fell in love and spent eight years with a
man named Carlos Ma. She had five of her seven children with him, Ma
said. She cooked and cleaned for them. On weekends, the couple took
their family to the park for barbecues. Her loved ones nicknamed her
"Conda."

But mental illness, which had clung to her like a demon since she was a
young girl, grew worse over the years, her family said. It prevented her
from working most of her life. She couldn't afford to keep her house.
Eventually, she lost custody of all her children.

One poignant chapter followed another throughout her life, ending
tragically by a rural river road, two miles north of West Sacramento.

The Yolo County Coroner's Office said she died from "numerous sharp
force injuries to the neck and chest." Her family said authorities told
them she was stabbed more than 40 times.

The men charged with her murder -- Luis Amparan Rodriguez, 23, and Jose
David Madrigal, 25 -- are being held without bail. Their preliminary
hearing is scheduled for today. Yolo County District Attorney Jeff
Reisig said Madrigal is being charged with a special circumstance of
torture based on the brutality of the killing.

Authorities have determined that Cerda knew the men but did not say how
or how well. They had appeared in the neighborhood in the past few
months, family members said.

Phillip Maestas, Cerda's cousin, said he may have been one of the last
people to see her alive on the night of July 8 at a house across from
Max Baer Park.

Maestas wanted to return a bag to her. But before he drove up to her,
she walked into the garage and disappeared. He wishes he had caught her
attention.

"She might have jumped in and rolled with me," Maestas said. "But I
didn't think that anything bad was going to happen."

Rodriguez and Madrigal have pleaded not guilty. The motive for the
slaying remains a mystery.

"Why, why do they have to kill my daughter the way they did?" Irene
Valdivia said, grieving with family outside her son's 78th Street house
a few days after her daughter's death. She had traveled from her home in
Utah to attend the funeral.

Cerda's father, Alex Cerda, came from Texas. He sat beside Valdivia,
saying little.

"Why my daughter?" Valdivia wondered. "Why 40 times? She never did
nothing to nobody."

Valdivia takes care of Alexandra Cerda's 13-year-old daughter in Utah.
About 12 years ago, her family said, Child Protective Services took the
girl and her four older brothers from their parents. The sons, now
between the ages of 21 and 16, live in Fresno. In 2000, authorities
removed Cerda's youngest boy, now 11, from her care. Valdivia said he
has since been adopted in Sacramento. Valdivia does not know the
whereabouts of Cerda's youngest daughter, born about a year and a half
ago and removed at birth from her mother.

Cerda pined for her children. Valdivia said it broke her heart to see
her daughter push a stroller with no baby inside or to accumulate toys,
hoping her children would play with them when they returned to her. In
her mind, her children remained the age they were when they were taken away.

At a service last week, Cerda's third son, Victor Ma, described his
mother's excitement at seeing him and his brothers during a visit four
years ago.

"I remember the expression on her face," 18-year-old Victor Ma said. She
had bought shoes and clothes for them. He wanted her to keep her money,
he said.

When her youngest son was taken from her, Cerda lost whatever was left
of her mind, her family members said. They couldn't explain what
initially caused her mental illness, but her mother believes it was
exacerbated by severe head injuries Cerda suffered at age 13.

She sneaked out to a party one night while she was visiting an aunt in
Utah. Later she was found badly beaten with a crowbar and left for dead
on the street. Police never caught her attacker. The scar stretched
across her daughter's scalp, Valdivia said.

Rita Ibarra, a former sister-in-law, said Cerda was wary of taking
medication. She believed the drugs would harm her. She shunned programs
and services because she distrusted them, Ibarra said.

Those who knew her said she was never violent. She loved the color pink,
makeup, shopping, dancing, old school music, wrestling playfully with
her nephews and having facials with her nieces. Her network of friends,
relatives and family members said they supported her as much as they
could. They took her into their homes. Most recently she stayed with
friends on 32nd Avenue, behind the Fast Stop Food Store.

She was never homeless or friendless, they said.

"Everybody looked out for her," her sister Ruby Sisneros said. "She
could walk on the streets at 3 a.m., and no one would hurt her."

Sisneros credited the watchful eyes of the community for helping
detectives quickly find the men accused of killing her. Authorities
arrested Rodriguez the night of July 11 and Madrigal in the early hours
of July 12.

Between the two arrests, Valdivia was lying awake in bed at the home of
one of her sons. It was about 3 a.m. She said she turned on her side and
saw Alexandra lying next to her.

"I won't forget her face," Valdivia said. "She was looking at me, so
pale. She was saying to me: 'It's OK, mum. I'm OK now.' "






CURRENTLY CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES VIOLATES MORE CIVIL RIGHTS ON A
DAILY BASIS THEN ALL OTHER AGENCIES COMBINED INCLUDING THE NSA / CIA
WIRETAPPING PROGRAM....

CPS Does not protect children...
It is sickening how many children are subject to abuse, neglect and even
killed at the hands of Child Protective Services.

every parent should read this .pdf from
connecticut dcf watch...

http://www.connecticutdcfwatch.com/8x11.pdf

http://www.connecticutdcfwatch.com

Number of Cases per 100,000 children in the US
These numbers come from The National Center on
Child Abuse and Neglect in Washington. (NCCAN)
Recent numbers have increased significantly for CPS

*Perpetrators of Maltreatment*

Physical Abuse CPS 160, Parents 59
Sexual Abuse CPS 112, Parents 13
Neglect CPS 410, Parents 241
Medical Neglect CPS 14 Parents 12
Fatalities CPS 6.4, Parents 1.5

CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES, HAPPILY DESTROYING HUNDREDS OF INNOCENT
FAMILIES YEARLY NATIONWIDE AND COMING TO YOU'RE HOME SOON...


BE SURE TO FIND OUT WHERE YOUR CANDIDATES STANDS ON THE ISSUE OF
REFORMING OR ABOLISHING CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES ("MAKE YOUR CANDIDATES
TAKE A STAND ON THIS ISSUE.") THEN REMEMBER TO VOTE ACCORDINGLY IF THEY
ARE "FAMILY UNFRIENDLY" IN THE NEXT ELECTION...

On Jul 27, 12:48 am, fx wrote:
Slain woman's life held tragedy
Family, friends say she battled mental illness.
By Chelsea Phua - Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:00 am PDT Friday, July 27, 2007

http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/294827.html

Alexandra Marie Cerda often walked the streets of her south Sacramento
neighborhood. Sometimes, she stopped by the Fast Stop Food Store at
Fruitridge Road and Wilkinson Street. Some days, she stood at a bus stop
near Fruitridge and Power Inn roads, waiting for a bus to take her to
her favorite shopping destination, Florin Mall. Her mail went to a post
office box on Florin Road.

Strangers thought she was homeless. When her body was found July 9 near
the Sacramento River in Yolo County, authorities described her as a
39-year-old transient woman.

But Alexandra Marie Cerda's life story wasn't what many thought it was.
She was connected to family and friends. The full narrative of her life
spanned joys, sorrows and the everyday details that fill an ordinary
life. It also held unfathomable tragedy.

What many people don't know is that at one point, she owned a home on
Wilkinson Street. Or that she fell in love and spent eight years with a
man named Carlos Ma. She had five of her seven children with him, Ma
said. She cooked and cleaned for them. On weekends, the couple took
their family to the park for barbecues. Her loved ones nicknamed her
"Conda."

But mental illness, which had clung to her like a demon since she was a
young girl, grew worse over the years, her family said. It prevented her
from working most of her life. She couldn't afford to keep her house.
Eventually, she lost custody of all her children.

One poignant chapter followed another throughout her life, ending
tragically by a rural river road, two miles north of West Sacramento.

The Yolo County Coroner's Office said she died from "numerous sharp
force injuries to the neck and chest." Her family said authorities told
them she was stabbed more than 40 times.

The men charged with her murder -- Luis Amparan Rodriguez, 23, and Jose
David Madrigal, 25 -- are being held without bail. Their preliminary
hearing is scheduled for today. Yolo County District Attorney Jeff
Reisig said Madrigal is being charged with a special circumstance of
torture based on the brutality of the killing.

Authorities have determined that Cerda knew the men but did not say how
or how well. They had appeared in the neighborhood in the past few
months, family members said.

Phillip Maestas, Cerda's cousin, said he may have been one of the last
people to see her alive on the night of July 8 at a house across from
Max Baer Park.

Maestas wanted to return a bag to her. But before he drove up to her,
she walked into the garage and disappeared. He wishes he had caught her
attention.

"She might have jumped in and rolled with me," Maestas said. "But I
didn't think that anything bad was going to happen."

Rodriguez and Madrigal have pleaded not guilty. The motive for the
slaying remains a mystery.

"Why, why do they have to kill my daughter the way they did?" Irene
Valdivia said, grieving with family outside her son's 78th Street house
a few days after her daughter's death. She had traveled from her home in
Utah to attend the funeral.

Cerda's father, Alex Cerda, came from Texas. He sat beside Valdivia,
saying little.

"Why my daughter?" Valdivia wondered. "Why 40 times? She never did
nothing to nobody."

Valdivia takes care of Alexandra Cerda's 13-year-old daughter in Utah.
About 12 years ago, her family said, Child Protective Services took the
girl and her four older brothers from their parents. The sons, now
between the ages of 21 and 16, live in Fresno. In 2000, authorities
removed Cerda's youngest boy, now 11, from her care. Valdivia said he
has since been adopted in Sacramento. Valdivia does not know the
whereabouts of Cerda's youngest daughter, born about a year and a half
ago and removed at birth from her mother.

Cerda pined for her children. Valdivia said it broke her heart to see
her daughter push a stroller with no baby inside or to accumulate toys,
hoping her children would play with them when they returned to her. In
her mind, her children remained the age they were when they were taken away.

At a service last week, Cerda's third son, Victor Ma, described his
mother's excitement at seeing him and his brothers during a visit four
years ago.

"I remember the expression on her face," 18-year-old Victor Ma said. She
had bought shoes and clothes for them. He wanted her to keep her money,
he said.

When her youngest son was taken from her, Cerda lost whatever was left
of her mind, her family members said. They couldn't explain what
initially caused her mental illness, but her mother believes it was
exacerbated by severe head injuries Cerda suffered at age 13.

She sneaked out to a party one night while she was visiting an aunt in
Utah. Later she was found badly beaten with a crowbar and left for dead
on the street. Police never caught her attacker. The scar stretched
across her daughter's scalp, Valdivia said.

Rita Ibarra, a former sister-in-law, said Cerda was wary of taking
medication. She believed the drugs would harm her. She shunned programs
and services because she distrusted them, Ibarra said.

Those who knew her said she was never violent. She loved the color pink,
makeup, shopping, dancing, old school music, wrestling playfully with
her nephews and having facials with her nieces. Her network of friends,
relatives and family members said they supported her as much as they
could. They took her into their homes. Most recently she stayed with
friends on 32nd Avenue, behind the Fast Stop Food Store.

She was never homeless or friendless, they said.

"Everybody looked out for her," her sister Ruby Sisneros said. "She
could walk on the streets at 3 a.m., and no one would hurt her."

Sisneros credited the watchful eyes of the community for helping
detectives quickly find the men accused of killing her. Authorities
arrested Rodriguez the night of July 11 and Madrigal in the early hours
of July 12.

Between the two arrests, Valdivia was lying awake in bed at the home of
one of her sons. It was about 3 a.m. She said she turned on her side and
saw Alexandra lying next to her.

"I won't forget her face," Valdivia said. "She was looking at me, so
pale. She was saying to me: 'It's OK, mum. I'm OK now.' "

CURRENTLY CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES VIOLATES MORE CIVIL RIGHTS ON A
DAILY BASIS THEN ALL OTHER AGENCIES COMBINED INCLUDING THE NSA / CIA
WIRETAPPING PROGRAM....

CPS Does not protect children...
It is sickening how many children are subject to abuse, neglect and even
killed at the hands of Child Protective Services.

every parent should read this .pdf from
connecticut dcf watch...

http://www.connecticutdcfwatch.com/8x11.pdf

http://www.connecticutdcfwatch.com

Number of Cases per 100,000 children in the US
These numbers come from The National Center on
Child Abuse and Neglect in Washington. (NCCAN)
Recent numbers have increased significantly for CPS

*Perpetrators of Maltreatment*

Physical Abuse CPS 160, Parents 59
Sexual Abuse CPS 112, Parents 13
Neglect CPS 410, Parents 241
Medical Neglect CPS 14 Parents 12
Fatalities CPS 6.4, Parents 1.5

CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES, HAPPILY DESTROYING HUNDREDS OF INNOCENT
FAMILIES YEARLY NATIONWIDE AND COMING TO YOU'RE HOME SOON...

BE SURE TO FIND OUT WHERE YOUR CANDIDATES STANDS ON THE ISSUE OF
REFORMING OR ABOLISHING CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES ("MAKE YOUR CANDIDATES
TAKE A STAND ON THIS ISSUE.") THEN REMEMBER TO VOTE ACCORDINGLY IF THEY
ARE "FAMILY UNFRIENDLY" IN THE NEXT ELECTION...

Hmmmm.
Lemme see now.
Unfortunate as this woman's death is, we tie it into CPS how?
Why, by insinuating that CPS had something to do with her mental
status.
Though her mother states that the woman had severe head injuries at
the age of 13 after a beating.
Though she was plagued with mental issues since she was a child.
Though she refused treatments.
It's all CPS' fault, right? Because they removed children from her
care that she could not take care of?
Am I understanding this correctly?
Damn, no wonder you people can't keep custody of your kids, it seems
like you are all a bunch of freakin' squirrels!