Police identify victim in Waukee murder-suicide

Chris Higgins, Des Moines Register
·2 min read

Waukee police have released the names of the two people who were found dead Thursday morning in an incident that has been ruled a murder-suicide.

Nelcybert Estafani Castillo Mata, 26, was the victim, according to a news release. She had been in a domestic relationship with Felix Baccam, 36, who was found dead with self-inflicted injuries in the 200 block of Southeast Boulder Court in Waukee, the release said.

Responders with the Waukee Police Department and the Waukee Fire Department were dispatched to the address around 7:27 a.m. Thursday morning. The Clive Police Department and the Division of Criminal Investigation assisted.

According to court records, Baccam was charged in Polk County with domestic assault against Castillo Mata in both 2019 and 2021. Both times, the state requested that a judge dismiss the case, but court records do not indicate why. The 2021 case was dismissed Feb. 15, and a no-contact order was lifted, two days before the murder-suicide was reported.

Baccam also was charged in Dallas County with domestic assault against Castillo Mata in 2022. Dallas County Attorney Jeannine Ritchie said Monday the charge and related no-contact order were dismissed due to Baccam's death. The dismissal document included a reference to a plea agreement in error, Ritchie said.

Castillo Mata had filed in January to end the no-contact order in the Dallas County case, which a judge denied when she did not appear for a hearing, according to a court document.

The Polk County Attorney's Office did not respond to messages Saturday afternoon.

Baccam also received a suspended prison sentence and was placed on probation after pleading guilty to charges in an alleged domestic violence case involving a different woman in 2014, and he completed probation in 2017, according to court records.

Previously:Apparent murder-suicide in Waukee leaves two people dead

Resources for victims of domestic violence

In its news release, the Waukee Police Department expressed condolences families affected and listed resources for people experiencing domestic violence, including:

  • The Dallas County Crisis Intervention & Advocacy Center — 1-800-400-4884

  • The National Domestic Violence Hotline — 800-799-7233

  • The Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence — 515-244-8028

  • The Children and Families of Iowa Local Crisis Hotline — 515-243-6147

The department also said people can call their local law enforcement agency or 911.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect current information on a 2022 domestic assault case.

Chris Higgins covers the eastern suburbs for the Register. Reach him at chiggins@registermedia.com or 515-423-5146 and follow him on Twitter @chris_higgins_.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Waukee Police Department releases name of victim in Thursday murder-suicide