Police: Man stabs girlfriend to death at Casselberry apartment complex

CASSELBERRY, Fla. — A 37-year-old man stabbed his 34-year-old girlfriend to death Wednesday morning at an apartment complex, the Casselberry Police Department said.

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Police said they were called shortly after 9 a.m. to the San Jose Apartments at Winter Woods Boulevard and State Road 436 after Farel Torres called 911 to report the stabbing.

Investigators said they encountered Torres, who was standing outside the apartment, and they took him into custody.

They said they discovered the Vanessa Marie Santiago in the apartment with a stab wound to her head.

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Paramedics pronounced her dead at the scene.

Torres and Santiago shared a child in common.

Police said that the child was not present during the stabbing and is being cared for by Santiago’s mother.

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Torres was booked into the Seminole County Jail on charges of second-degree murder.

Police said they have one prior report on file from March, when Santiago reported that Torres stole her phone.

“In that case Vanessa Santiago declined to press charges, and told officers no violence took place,” the agency said in a news release.

Police said they are also aware of a 2021 Seminole County Sheriff’s Office report that said that Torres behaved violently toward Santiago.

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Anyone who is a victim of domestic violence should call 911 or the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233.

See a map of the scene below:

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