18-year-old calls 911 from bedroom, then mom strangles her to death, Florida cops say

An 18-year-old called 911 and said she had just woken up from being strangled, Florida authorities said.

By the time officers arrived, the young woman was unconscious in the kitchen, and her mother is now charged with murder, the Tampa Police Department said in a May 28 news release.

McClatchy News reached out to the public defender’s office for comment May 29 but did not immediately hear back.

At around 6 a.m. on May 11, Natavia Sanders called the police and said she “just woke up from being passed out,” according to a probable cause affidavit filed in Hillsborough County.

She said her mom, 38-year-old Rotesha Silveus, had strangled her and was outside her room, police said.

The emergency operator heard the sound of the door opening, then the line disconnected. Attempts to call her back went to voicemail.

Officers said they arrived 14 minutes later, and knocked on the door for about six minutes trying to speak to someone.

The mother eventually answered the door, but when officers asked to speak to her outside she tried to close the door, police said.

They prevented the door from closing and placed Silveus in handcuffs after a brief struggle, according to officers.

When they went inside, they said they found Sanders lying on the kitchen floor and began performing CPR, but she was declared brain-dead at a hospital.

Three children under the age of 10 were inside the home, police said.

The oldest, a 9-year-old, spoke with police and said she heard Sanders yelling her name like she needed help.

The child went downstairs and saw Silveus on top of Sanders, who appeared not to be breathing as the mom covered her mouth, police said.

The mom told the 9-year-old to go back upstairs, and the girl complied.

In the days that followed, scans at a Tampa hospital showed the 18-year-old had “no signs of brain activity,” police said. She died May 13.

Silveus was initially charged with aggravated battery with great bodily harm, but the charges were upgraded to first-degree murder when the medical examiner ruled the death a homicide, determining Sanders died of strangulation injuries.

Those who knew Sanders are mourning her loss.

“Natavia I miss you so much,” a friend posted on social media along with a video of Sanders at a bowling alley. “Just keep thinking to myself am I ever going to be okay but you’ll forever be missed.”

Sanders’ social media accounts showed she went to high school in Erie, Pennsylvania.

“She was a special person, she was a gift, she was everything anyone can ever ask for,” one Facebook user wrote. “She was gentle and patient, she definitely didn’t deserve what had happened to her. She should have lived her life.”

Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw described it as a “heartbreaking case.”

This story was originally published May 29, 2024 at 10:33 AM with the headline "18-year-old calls 911 from bedroom, then mom strangles her to death, Florida cops say."