Missing California Mom Found Dead; Ex-Husband Arrested

A California mom who disappeared last week has been found dead in a remote part of Antelope Valley in northern Los Angeles County.

Simi Valley Police say they have arrested Zarbab Ali, 25, and charged him with the murder of 25-year-old Rachel Castillo, his ex-wife.

Castillo was reported missing on Thursday when her sister Emily returned to the home they shared in Simi Valley and found Rachel missing and a “significant amount” of blood along with her sister’s personal belongings — keys, credit cards, car — left behind, as CrimeOnline previously reported.

Ali was arrested at his parents’ home in Victorville.

Investigators have not said what led them to Castillo’s body or Ali as a suspect. Castillo’s family initially said she took the two children to Ali’s home Thursday morning for a planned visit, and police said he was cooperating with the investigation. But investigators later learned that Ali typically came to pick the two children, 5- and 2-years-old, every Thursday.

Police said they would release more information “when it is available.”

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[Featured image: Rachel Castillo/Simi Valley Police Department]