SPOKANE COUNTY, Wash. — Warning: This story may be disturbing for some readers. Reader discretion is advised.
Spokane County Sheriff's deputies arrested a woman who admitted to investigators she killed her son and decapitated him before dumping his body near a creek five months ago, according to a press release from the sheriff's office.
Christine Castelli told police and her brother she killed her son before she entered a drug rehab program approximately five months ago. Castelli also told a Crime Check operator where her son's body was left shortly before leading police to his remains. She is currently in the Spokane County Jail on a $1.5 million bond.
On Jan. 14, 911/Crime Check received a call from a man at approximately 10:22 p.m. During that call, the man identified himself as Castelli's brother and said she had just told him she had murdered her adult son, Chase. Castelli also reportedly told a Crime Check operator she dumped her son's body near Rock Lake in Whitman County, according to court documents.
Sheriff's deputies met with Castelli and her brother near the VA hospital that night and requested assistance from the Whitman County Sheriff's Office (WCSO).
Castelli and her brother agreed to lead police to her son's remains. According to documents, his body was found in a black garbage bag underneath a bridge off Gene Webb Road over Kamiache Creek in Whitman County.
After her son's remains were discovered, Castelli was taken to the public safety building for an interview.
In the interview, Castelli admitted to shooting her son "five or six times in the head and chest" while he was sitting on a couch at her boyfriend's house in Spokane County. Her boyfriend was not home at the time of the shooting.
After killing her son, Castelli said she cut off his head with a saw, according to court documents. She then dumped his body and head under a bridge near Kamiache Creek in Whitman County.
Once her son's body was hidden, Castelli told police she disposed of the revolver, fired cartridge cases and other items linked to the crime along roads in Whitman and Spokane counties. She then cleaned the scene with peroxide and got rid of the couch with the help of her boyfriend.
Castelli also claimed that leading up to the shooting, her son threatened her several times with a firearm. He once shot a gun inside her boyfriend's van and shot the back door and a tree trunk at their home.
Castelli was arrested for second-degree murder and a search warrant was requested to search the home where the murder happened.
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