South LA mom beaten, stabbed to death by boyfriend in front of her children, family says
She was killed in front of three of her four children, who are 8, 7 and 13, her family said.
SOUTH LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A family in South Los Angeles is grieving and searching for answers after a mother was stabbed to death by her boyfriend in front of her children.
Nicole Santillanes, 38, was a mother of four.
Her family said she was beaten and stabbed to death by her longtime boyfriend over the weekend at an apartment complex on Broadway Avenue.
She was killed in front of three of her four children, who are 8, 7 and 13, her family said. The boyfriend, who was identified by police as Richard Lara, fled and remains on the run.
"She was like the life of the party. Everybody loved her. She was outgoing. She was very independent," said Ashley Gjurich, Santillanes' sister.
Gjurich told ABC7 she found out about her sister's death from Santillanes' 13-year-old daughter.
"She called my daughter. She was screaming like hysterically," recalled Gjurich. "My daughter thought she was joking around saying, 'Mom it's just Stevie,' and I was like, 'No, something's wrong with her. What's wrong with her?' I was like, 'Stevie, what's going on?' and she was like, 'He killed her. He killed my mom.'"
Gjurich is now taking care of seven children, including her own and now, her sister's.
The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed to Eyewitness News that Lara is the suspect in this case. Officers are still trying to locate him. Friends and family said Santillanes and Lara were in a toxic on-and-off relationship for years that involved domestic violence.
Lara is the father of two of Santillanes' children.
Santillanes' oldest son said he's now focusing on making his mom proud.
"I'm going to follow her path," said Dylan Cristales. "She wanted to be an LVN, a pharmaceutical tech, I just go to school for something. Follow her footsteps."
The family has since created a GoFundMe to raise money for Santillanes' funeral and mental health resources for her children.
They plan to hosting a vigil Tuesday evening.
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