The remains of a 25-year-old mother of two—who police believed was in grave danger after going missing and leaving a large pile of blood in her Southern California home—have been discovered. Detectives on Sunday afternoon located the remains of an adult female in a remote location within the Antelope Valley, the Simi Valley Police Department said in a press release. Detectives, along with the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the remains as Rachel Castillo. Castillo disappeared on the evening of November 10. Police responded to Castillo’s Wood Ranch area home after her sister returned to their shared apartment to find a “significant amount of blood”—a detail that cops confirmed, along with evidence that a struggle occurred inside. Castillo was nowhere to be found, but had left her keys, wallet and phone. “As soon as I saw the blood, that’s when I realized something wasn’t right,” her sister Emily told Good Morning America. Her father, a retired law enforcement officer himself, said there was “lots of blood, on the floor walls and ceiling.” The 25-year-old primary suspect in the case, Castillo’s ex-husband Zarbab Ali, was arrested Sunday afternoon at his parent’s home in Victorville, in connection with Rachel’s homicide. In their statement, police said the investigation “rapidly evolved over the past few days” and that the case is still under investigation. Some details “cannot be released due to legal and investigative reasons,” they added.
