by Antoinnette Borbon
Mental health issues may have caused Davis woman to snap in alleged homicide of her child – Friday was the preliminary hearing in the case against Aqualin Talamantes, who is being charged with the death of her little girl. Tatiana Talamantes was found in the trunk of her mother’s car wrapped in a blanket inside a plastic bag on September 26, 2013.
Coroners who examined the little girl’s body stated they found a bite mark on the inside of the girl’s mouth, pictorial hemorrhages, and other injuries on her body. But the official cause of death was drowning.
Police detectives testified to statements given to police on the morning of September 27, 2013, by family members of the defendant. Aqualin, the defendant, was stopped for a traffic violation in Davis but was let go with a warning. Police officers would later wind up at the house on Glide Drive to see if things were okay, due to the strange behavior of the defendant during the traffic stop.
The defendant’s sister told detectives that Aqualin had suffered from bi-polar disorder, schizophrenia, and other mental health problems. Elisa, one of the defendant’s sisters, told police that Aqualin had been telling family members for months that she could not care for her children.
DDA Ryan Couzens asked about a statement made referring to her children as “these stupid kids!”
Elisa told Sacramento police Detective Mark Johnson that she left the Glide residence, where she and Aqualin and her children lived, to go to Vacaville. Elisa said she had been texting Aqualin to let her know she was on her way back home and to be ready to go to their other sister’s house in Sacramento. Elisa told Johnson they were going there to leave the kids with Priscilla, their sister who lived off Pocket Rd. in Sacramento.
But Elisa stated that as she arrived back home at the residence on Glide Dr. she saw Aqualin’s green Honda backed up in the driveway, parked cockeyed. She stated she saw her four-year-old nephew looking pale. Elisa said she asked Aqualin where Tatiana was, and Aqualin replied, “I don’t know, I think she is lost.”
Elisa told police she went to the back yard to search for the girl and when she could not find her, she walked back to the driveway and Aqualin had left.
It was then she immediately phoned her other sister in Sacramento to tell her about Tatiana being missing and to let her know Aqualin may be headed to her house.
Det. Johnson stated that Elisa got to Priscilla’s house and was still behaving strangely, paranoid. She said Aqualin kept saying,” They are coming for me,” and when Priscilla tried to take her keys to look in the trunk, suspecting the child may be inside, Aqualin resisted handing them over. But she was patting the trunk with her hand.
Elisa told Johnson she had summoned police to go to the residence of her sister Priscilla and drove there to await authorities.
She stated to Johnson that Aqualin continued to believe people were coming for her.
Once authorities arrived, they searched the green Honda and found the body of little Tatiana.
Judge David W. Reed held Aqualin to answer. She will be arraigned on the charge.
