Nelcybert Estafani Castillo Mata, a 26-year-old Hispanic/Latina woman, was killed on February 16, 2023, inside a residence in the 200 block of Southeast Boulder Court in Waukee, Iowa. A native of Venezuela, she was the mother of two young children, a daughter who was about one year old and a son who was about three. Her death left the children without their mother and devastated relatives and friends who described the tragedy as the final, fatal act of domestic violence within her
relationship.
At approximately 7:27 that morning, members of the Waukee Police and Fire departments were dispatched to the residence after receiving a report of a possible suicide. When emergency personnel entered the home, they found Castillo Mata dead along with Felix Baccam, her 36-year-old domestic partner. Investigators said Baccam had injuries that appeared to have been self-inflicted. The Clive Police Department and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation assisted Waukee authorities as they examined the residence and worked to determine the sequence of events.
Police ultimately classified the deaths as a murder-suicide. Investigators concluded that Baccam killed Castillo Mata and then took his own life. Reports connected the incident to gun violence, with law enforcement information indicating that Castillo Mata was shot. Authorities announced that the deaths were contained to the residence and that there was no continuing danger to neighbors or the wider Waukee community.
The fatal encounter was not the first time the relationship had drawn the attention of the criminal justice system. Court records reviewed by news organizations showed that Baccam had previously been charged in Polk County with domestic assault involving Castillo Mata in 2019 and again in 2021. Both prosecutions were dismissed at the state's request, although publicly available reports did not establish a clear reason for the dismissals. Additional reporting described Baccam as having a longer history of domestic-abuse arrests and allegations, underscoring that warning signs had existed before the violence became fatal.
Because Baccam died at the scene after killing Castillo Mata, police did not make an arrest in connection with her death. He was identified as the person responsible, but there could be no homicide charge, criminal trial, or conviction after his death. The investigation was therefore resolved through the police determination that the incident was a murder-suicide rather than through a courtroom proceeding.
In the aftermath, relatives and supporters organized financial assistance for Castillo Mata's family and surviving children. The fundraiser described her loss as the result of domestic violence and emphasized the emotional and financial burden placed upon those left behind. What began for first responders as a possible suicide call was ultimately revealed to be the killing of a young mother by a partner with a documented history of domestic conflict, followed by the assailant's suicide—a conclusion that identified the person responsible but denied Castillo Mata's family the opportunity to see the case tested through an arrest and trial.
