Woman arrested after mother stabbed to death in San Rafael; attack streamed on Facebook Live
A San Rafael woman was arrested Monday as the suspect in the fatal stabbing of her mother at an apartment complex which was streamed live on Facebook, police said.
San Rafael Police said in a press statement Tuesday that officers responded to Cresta Way in the city's Terra Linda district just before 5 p.m. on a report of a fight and possible stabbing in progress. In a subsequent update, police said initial calls of the incident came from both witnesses at the scene and from those who saw it on the Facebook Live video platform.
Officers arrived to find a woman on a balcony holding a knife in her hand and her clothes soaked in blood, standing next to another woman who had been stabbed. The woman with the knife did not respond to officers' commands and other officers forced their entry into the apartment, immediately taking her into custody, police said.
A crew from the San Rafael Fire Department, which was also on scene, rendered immediate emergency medical care before transporting the victim -- a 55-year-old San Rafael woman -- to an area hospital. Police said hospital staff made every effort to save the victim's life, but were unable to overcome the extensive life-threatening injuries she had sustained. An hour and a half after her arrival, the victim was pronounced deceased.
The suspect was identified as Tonantzyn Oris Beltran, a 28-year-old San Rafael resident. It was determined she is the daughter of the victim, police said. Beltran was arrested for murder and detectives were working to determine what led to the homicide. Police were also working with the Marin County Coroner's Office as part of the homicide investigation.
The victim's name was withheld by the coroner's office pending family notification. Police said the department initially withheld word of the Facebook Live video of the stabbing until working with parent company Meta to have it taken down out of respect for the victim and her family.
Anyone with information about the crime was asked to call San Rafael Police at (415) 485-3000. Tips can also be made online at http://www.srpd.org/tips.