A Pennsylvania woman is now charged with murdering her boyfriend’s 2-year-old son 32 years ago.
Sandra Guadalupe-Castro, 57, of Reading, Pennsylvania, is charged with first-degree and third-degree murder, the Berks County District Attorney’s Office announced on Oct. 8, 2025.
On Jan. 8, 1993, a 2-year-old boy was found at a home on the 1000 block of Franklin Street in Reading suffering from head injuries as well as bruises in various stages of healing.
The boy was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead at 12:50 p.m. that day. His death was ruled a homicide.
At the time of this death, the boy lived with his father as well as his father’s girlfriend, Sandra Guadalupe-Castro, according to investigators. Despite a criminal investigation being launched and numerous interviews with the boy’s family members and those who knew him, no arrests were made at the time.
The case remained unsolved for decades until Reading Police and Berks County detectives reopened it in 2025 under Berks County District Attorney John Adams’ Cold Case Initiative.
Investigators re-interviewed several people and reexamined medical records as well as forensic findings. After consulting with the forensic pathologist who initially ruled the boy’s death a homicide, investigators determined the child suffered his injuries shortly before he died. This allowed detectives to narrow the timeline and focus on the boy’s activities the morning of Jan. 8, 1993.
Investigators then determined the boy was in the sole care and supervision of Guadalupe-Castro in the hours before his death.
Guadalupe-Castro was then charged with first-degree murder and third-degree murder on Oct. 7, 2025, and a warrant was issued for her arrest. She was then taken into custody at her home that same day.
Guadalupe-Castro is currently being held in the Berks County Jail after her bail was denied due to her first-degree murder charge. Her preliminary hearing is scheduled for Oct. 17.
Online court records don’t list an attorney who could speak on her behalf.