A mom was brutally murdered in Salinas, California, in the presence of her two toddlers, as she planned to flee from an abusive relationship.
The victim, identified as 30-year-old Eleni Tavau, was preparing to leave an abusive relationship and move to Nevada.
On Sunday, June 25, around 3 pm, police responded to a stabbing report at a home on Natividad Road in Salinas. Upon arrival, officers found Eleni Tavau with multiple stab wounds. She was unresponsive and her two toddler-aged children were present. Officers administered first aid before she was rushed to a local hospital in critical condition, where she later died.
Two and a half hours after the incident, 32-year-old Rodrigo Bravo, the ex-boyfriend of the victim and father of the children, turned himself in at the police station. He confessed to the stabbing and was later arrested. Bravo faces charges of murder, felony child endangerment, violation of probation, and breach of a domestic violence restraining order, which the victim had previously obtained against him. He is being held on $1 million bail.
Eleni Tavau’s family has set up a GoFundMe page to raise funds for her burial. Speaking to a news outlet, Alex Carr, the victim’s brother, said that Tavau had confided in him about her intention to move to Nevada to escape the verbally, mentally, and physically abusive relationship.