Engelica Elisa Castillo And Timothy John Tkachik
Here on PYSIH, we see a lot of stories about bad mothers. There are moms who leave their kids alone; moms who starve and neglect their children; and moms who pick boyfriends over their own children. There is no indication that Jada Justice’s mom was that kind of a mother.
Jada’s mom left Jada with her cousin, when she went to visit friends. According to relatives, this is not uncommon in their family. The cousin, 18 year old Engelica Castillo, often happily babysits for relatives for days on end. Unfortunately, this time, Engelica says that someone stole the baby.
Her story is that she ran in to the gas station real quick for some milk and cigarettes, and lo & behold, the baby was missing when she got out. Engelica Castillo is not THAT stupid though – she made sure that the station had a camera inside to back her up, and conveniently – none pointing to the side windowless wall. Of course, for a young woman in a bad area of Gary Indiana, parking there , especially at night, might be considered stupid. Leaving a toddler alone in an unlocked vehicle is absolutely stupid, even if she were 
parked right outside the front.
Several people have mentioned that it was raining that night, and in order to get to THAT station, with the conveniently located video cams, she had to pass several other safer places where she could have bought milk and smokes. Also, when police tried to use search dogs to track where Jada had been supposedly taken, the dogs did NOT find any sign that the child had been in the car.
Naturally the cops asked some questions of the 18 year old baby sitter. Apparently she was not real cooperative, so the cops held her for a little bit as a person of interest. Then they released her. They began to search the area between her house and the gas station.
Oh – did I forget to mention Engelica’s live-in boyfriend, 23 year old Tim Tkachik? When police questioned him, he had a very strange unexplainable facial feature. His face and neck were covered with BURNS. (Take a look at that mugshot). Neither one of these people could explain why she left the baby unattended on the side of a dark gas station in a bad area at night, or how the boyfriend’s face got the horrible burns.
Jada’s mother, Melissa Swiontek, has said she dropped her daughter off with Castillo on June 8, having planned to travel out of town. Swiontek said she last spoke to her daughter June 12. Four days later on June 16, Castillo reported Jada missing from the Gas station. (Some people have asked why the mom went 4 days without talking to her child – my understanding is that when she would call, Castillo would have a reasonable excuse. And how much do toddlers know about the phone anyway?)
Jada’s mom and dad (who has full visitation rights) were naturally a bit distraught about their precious baby being missing. For almost two weeks they pounded the pavement, besieged the media, handed out fliers and begged and pleaded for information from anyone who knew anything about their baby. (Click Here to view important locations in the search for Jada Justice)
Sadly, beautiful little Jada has been found. She was apparently killed three days before the reported kidnapping (the day after her mom last talked to her). Sources say that she was put into a plastic tub and covered with concrete. Then Jada’s little corpse was driven about 30 miles away and left in some shallow water.
Oh, right – let’s get back to the boyfriend and those burns on his face. Sources say that those burns were likely caused when he tried (unsuccessfully) to burn Jada’s little body. I guess the autopsy will shed some light on that. Interestingly, Jada’s body was discovered very close to the place where Tim Tkchik’s father killed Tim’s mother and her sister in 2003 and then committed suicide.
In the meantime, Castillo’s mother, Rita Rincon, is defending her daughter, saying information about Castillo has been misunderstood or misconstrued. She denies that Engelica was uncooperative and said Castillo and Tkachik had been out with other volunteers passing out fliers. Tkachik’s brother is defending him as well.
At least some family members are not so blind. Jada’s grandmother (who is also Castillo’s aunt) had these comments, shortly before Jada was found:
“I hate to make speculations on my niece, ’cause I love her to death and like I said, she’s a great babysitter”, “We’ve never had problems”, but “[her] story doesn’t make sense because they say it was raining that night and why wouldn’t she have pulled by the door? And nobody saw a positive ID that the baby was in the car.”
Castillo and Tkachik were arrested during a raid Wednesday evening on Tkachik’s rented home near Flint Lake, Michigan. Murder charges are expected soon.
UPDATE: JUNE 27th, 2009
This is a more detailed story from the Gary Post-Tribune website. Looks like Jada’s last moments were even worse than we thought they were.
GRISLY DETAILS ALLEGED IN DEATH OF TODDLER
By Jon Seidel, Gary (Indiana) Post-Tribune
The gruesome, callous and sordid details of Jada Justice’s demise were revealed Friday when prosecutors charged the 2-year-old girl’s cousin and her boyfriend with her murder.
Engelica Castillo, 18, and her live-in boyfriend, Tim Tkachik, 23, are accused of murder, two counts of neglect of a dependent, battery and false informing. They face 65 years in prison if convicted. Both live in Hobart and are being held in the Lake County Jail without bond (View Arrest Affidavit).
The charges were filed shortly after Justice’s uncle confirmed for LaPorte County Coroner John Sullivan that the body found Thursday near Otis is hers. Sullivan said Justice’s death was a homicide, but he declined to explain the cause of death at prosecutors’ request.
T. Edward Page, Castillo’s attorney, said his client is devastated by her cousin’s death and distraught she’s been accused of her murder.
“A plea of not guilty will be entered on Engelica’s behalf at the first opportunity,” Page said, “and we believe that once all of the evidence is presented to a fair and impartial jury at trial, she will be cleared of responsibility for Jada’s death.”
Justice’s mother, Melissa Swiontek, told the Post-Tribune on Friday that she never thought Castillo or Tkachik would harm her daughter. In court documents, prosecutors said Justice’s body was burned and encased in concrete before she was left in a LaPorte County swamp.
“They should have the same fate she had, if you ask me,” Swiontek said of Castillo and Tkachik.
THE LIE
When Castillo reported Justice missing June 16, splashing her face across fliers in the region and television screens across the nation, police say she was already dead.
Nonetheless, when police came upon Castillo that day at the Glen Park Gas Station, 1401 E. Ridge Road, they found her crying and screaming on the ground, claiming to be on the phone with her mother.
The story, as Castillo told it, was that she took Justice to the gas station to buy milk. Castillo told police she drove there because she was afraid to drive in Hobart without a driver’s license.
Castillo told police she and Tkachik spent June 16 paying bills before returning home, 3925 Missouri St., to make dinner. Justice ate, Castillo said, and afterward the couple smoked marijuana while the girl played on the floor.
Later, she said, she realized they needed milk, cigarettes and bottled water. Tkachik told police they left him at home because he was bothered by burns he suffered lighting a grill on June 14.
Placing Justice in the back seat, Castillo said she drove to the gas station where she saw a black man pumping gas and two other black men near a white Cadillac.
Castillo said she left the car carrying her keys and leaving the car unlocked. When she returned, she told police, she realized the girl wasn’t in the car.
Tkachik told police he was called to the gas station by Castillo. When he arrived, he hugged Castillo who told him “Jada’s gone.”
However, a man approached police at the gas station when Justice was first reported missing. He said he saw Castillo pull up, go into the gas station and return. He said he didn’t see anyone around or near Castillo’s car, nor did any other vehicles pull up.
Police searched the area, finding no sign of the girl.
In an interview with police the next day, an officer accused Castillo of lying and held up a picture of Justice.
Castillo became angry and tried to hit the officer, according to reports. She had to be restrained for about 30 seconds.
“God is taking care of her,” Castillo told police. “God is watching over her.”
Tkachik visited Porter hospital’s Portage campus June 18, police said, for burn treatment. He said the injuries were caused when a propane grill tank blew up.
THE CONFESSION
Tkachik eventually told officers another story, according to court documents, and he led them to Justice’s body on Thursday.
Tkachik said he drove Castillo to pick up Justice for the first time June 8.
“Everything was normal for several days,” police wrote in an affidavit.
Castillo spanked Justice several times because she was being potty trained, Tkachik said.
The couple also took several lines of heroin June 12. That was the day Swiontek said she last spoke to her daughter. She said Justice told her she had eaten dinner that day and played with the dog.
“She said, ‘Love you,’” and hung up,” Swiontek said. “She seemed happy.”
The next morning, Tkachik said he found Castillo spanking the girl and pulling her hair. Justice didn’t cry, he said, which prompted Castillo to hit her even harder.
Eventually, police said, Castillo hit Justice and the girl fell against a table and hit her head. Castillo then pulled Justice into a corner and made her stand still. When Justice started acting up again, he said, Castillo started rapping the girl’s head with her knuckles.
That’s when Tkachik told police he realized things had gone too far and tried to stop Castillo.
But when he couldn’t stop her from hitting the girl, he said, he went to another room to watch television.
That night, he said, they were on their way to purchase heroin from a man named “Ryan” in Porter County. Once they were on the highway, Tkachik told police, they realized Justice was not breathing. Tkachik tried CPR while Castillo began to scream and cry.
Tkachik realized the girl was dead and told Castillo, “I told you to stop. I told you enough is enough.”
They returned home, covered Justice, and then they left her in the car while they drove to see “Ryan” in another vehicle. Then they drove to Chicago.
Police said the couple returned home at about 9:30 p.m., checked on Justice and thought she was breathing. They took her into the house and gave her CPR.
They noticed the bruising on her face, police said, and decided to put her in three garbage bags. The couple then left her body in the basement and went to bed.
COVER-UP
Police said Castillo and Tkachik spent most of the next morning trying to figure out how to get rid of the body so they wouldn’t get in trouble.
They eventually decided to burn the body. Police said Tkachik drove to a home-supply store in Michigan City where he bought a metal garbage can. Then he bought charcoal, lighter fluid and gas at a gas station.
All of this while Justice was in the back of his truck.
Police said he pulled his truck into a wooded area near U.S. 421 in LaPorte County. Police said Castillo dumped gas and lighter fluid into a hole they found.
Tkachik placed charcoal and Justice’s body, wrapped in garbage bags, into the hole. Then he lit a piece of the charcoal bag and dropped it into the hole, police said, causing an explosion.
Castillo screamed and Tkachik was badly burned. The garbage bags burned, police said, but the body remained.
Tkachik and Castillo left the girl’s body in the hole and drove home.
The next day, documents say, Tkachik retrieved Justice’s body, took her to the house in Hobart, and then drove to a home-supply store in Merrillville.
He bought four bags of concrete and a large blue tub. Police said he returned to his basement, dumped a bag of concrete into the tub, put Justice’s body in the tub and then dumped the rest of the concrete over her body.
Tkachik then poured water into the tub and dried it with a space heater, police said.
When it was dry, police said, the couple drove the tub to a swamp in LaPorte County. Police said he used a yellow and black saw to cut the tub from around the concrete. He did so, police said, because he knew fingerprints would have been on it.
Tkachik pushed the concrete into the swamp where it eventually sank below the surface.
The couple returned home, took some heroin, and decided to report Justice’s abduction the next day.
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104 Comments »
Awwww, I didn’t know she had been found. I was hoping she was still alive. That is so sad, she’s such a pretty baby. I’m glad dude burned his face- a small amount of poetic justice. These two make me sick :-(
these two deserve death row!!!!!!
Seems our children are not safe anywhere! What used to make sense just doesn’t anymore. R.I.P. Jada
Interesting. And I agree, I am glad he burned his ugly ass face. Too bad he and that bitch will never suffer the way that baby did.
I wonder if there was sexual abuse going on. All too many times, when people are happy to watch any kid that doesnt belong to them for days on end, they are up to something. I think lots more about this case will be revealed soon. Sick sons of bitches. They both should have made it to hell like yesterday.
First of all how dare you! You don’t know all of the details. just because he did an ugly thing doesn’t mean his face is ugly! You are no ones judge. I can’t believe that this website even has such a question on it. I know it was a awful crime but the Lord died for our sins. Everyones not just yours
Wow.. after reading the whole article about how these two people let the poor baby girl die, and then decided to try and burn her body, ultimately deciding to bury her in concrete, and leave her to sink in a swamp, and you are asking “how dare you” because someone calls his face ugly? How dare THEY kill the poor baby girl, and then still disgrace her poor corpse, instead of letting her at least have a respectful funeral and burial like all of God’s creatures deserve. Now instead of getting to pay their last respects, the poor babys mom is going to have to attend her daughters closed casket funeral because of what these two selfish monsters did to her poor baby.
Yes,it makes it so much easier to commit these crimes when you believe your horrendous crimes will be forgiven doesn’t it? If your god was real he wouldn’t let things like this happen to innocent children.
Unfortunatley sometimes God loses the battle with the devil. Apparently you don’t read the bible or you would know that
It seems to be happening more frequently every day.
Lisa.
You can blame God all you want. But the fact is, God doesnt let this happen MAN DOES. If for any reason you know that something could or will happen it is up to you to stop it. After all you are right there and in some cases within arms reach. So please stop puttimg the blame on God or whoever you like. Let the people that do these things take it in the shitter, They did it after all.
Bill, facts are verifiable. There are few if any true facts relating to god. God is in the bailiwick of ‘faith’ not ‘facts’. It truly is best not to get into that here. ;)
Now that’s some sound advice right there. I’d listen to the lady if I were you Bill.
Update: The demonic duo has been charged.
“Castillo and Tkachik are each facing murder charges, along with charges of neglect of a dependent, battery, and false informing, according to Lake County Prosecutors. If convicted of all the charges listed against them, they each face a maximum of 65 years behind bars.”
Cause of death has not yet been released, nor has any information about whether she was burned before she was shrouded in concrete.
Thanks Maz – I’ll add that right away
OH.MY.GOD! I am just cutting and pasting the most recent update. There is too much to repeat, but suffice it to say, Tim is singing like a canary – blaming Engelica for almost everything. (Also, 65 years is the max for murder in Indiana, unless there is torture involved)
_________________________________________________________
CROWN POINT | Jada Justice’s 18-year-old baby sitter and the young woman’s boyfriend took drugs and schemed a desperate cover story after killing her and trying to get rid of her body, prosecutors allege.
Engelica Castillo, 18, and her boyfriend, 24-year-old Timothy Tkachik , both of Hobart, were charged Friday with murdering the 2-year-old Portage toddler. They also were charged with two counts of neglect of a dependent, battery and false informing.
“This tragic ending is not the outcome we were all hoping for,” prosecutor Bernard Carter said Friday in a statement. “The relentless efforts by all involved shows that Northwest Indiana has a big heart.”
Prosecutors accuse the two of abusing heroin and marijuana in the hours leading up to the girl’s death, only to try more than once to dispose of her body and concoct a story about her disappearance.
In his testimony to police, Tkachik blamed the girl’s death on Castillo, saying the girl died hours after Castillo beat her in the head with her knuckles and after the girl struck her head against a table.
Tkachik said Castillo spanked Jada in an attempt to potty train the girl, but that it escalated June 13 into harsher beating that he claimed to have tried to stop Castillo.
That night, the couple realized Jada wasn’t breathing in a car seat in the back of Tkachik’s car, on the way to Porter County to buy heroin, Tkachik told investigators.
The two stopped the car, tried administering CPR to the girl, but realized she was dead, court documents state.
“I told you to stop,” Tkachik told investigators he told Castillo. “I told you enough is enough.”
They returned to Hobart where they left Jada covered in the back seat of Tkachik’s car for hours while driving Castillo’s car back to Porter County, then to Chicago, and back to Hobart, records state. Back in Hobart, Tkachik placed Jada — covered in bumps and bruises — in garbage bags in the home’s basement before he and Castillo went to sleep, court records state.
The next day, in the couple’s attempt to burn Jada’s body in a hole in the ground in rural Westville, Tkachik badly burned himself trying to ignite the fire, he told police. The couple drove back to Hobart, leaving Jada’s body exposed in the burned-out hole, he said.
The next day, after purchasing materials from a Merrillville hardware store, the couple drove back to Westville where Tkachik placed Jada into a blue plastic tub, poured concrete in and waited for it to harden, records state. After it had dried, he chipped away the tub, dropping her concrete-encased body into a nearby swamp, records state.
He later directed police to the spot, records state.
A Lake County coroner’s spokesman said Friday that Jada’s death was a homicide by blunt force trauma. Numerous skull fractures were revealed during the girl’s autopsy, charging documents state.
She was positively identified Friday by a family member by a photograph, LaPorte County Coroner John Sullivan said. Sullivan said he wanted to spare the family from seeing Jada’s body in person.
Sullivan said he could not determine when the girl had died, based on the autopsy.
Castillo’s lawyer, T. Edward Page, said Castillo planned to plead not guilty to the charges.
“We believe that once all of the evidence is presented to a fair and impartial jury at trial, she will be cleared of responsibility for her cousin’s death,” Page said. “She is distraught over her cousin’s death and distraught that she has been accused of it.”
It was unclear Friday if Tkachik has retained a lawyer.
Both Castillo and Tkachik each could face up to 65 years in prison if convicted. Castillo and Tkachik both are being held in Lake County Jail without bond.
They are expected to appear in court Monday.
(From nwtimes.com)
She is so fucking distraught that she is smiling in her mug shot. If anyone is sorry it is her BF who at least had the balls to tell the fucking truth finally! This whole deal fucking SUCKS. You would think that as many of these stories that we see, the perps would figure out that it is best to just tell the damn truth rather than drag it out and their troubles worse.
I am SO TIRED of reading about ppl using children as punching bags and then trying to avoid responsibility.
To hell with them BOTH.
“Singing to the canaries”? At least he came out with what happened so that baby could be laid to rest. And BTW he is not blaming it all on her did you not see the part where he says he came up with the plans to cover it up? He is going to get alot of time for what he did admit! Do you mean to tell me you believe she didnt have any part of it.
Singing TO the canaries?? What the fuck is THAT? Lets try this slowly: Singing. Like. A. Canary. That is a term which 99.99999% of the population is either familiar with, or could figure out the meaning in less time than it takes to read it. But since you seem to be in that 0.00001% – it means, he is confessing, and telling everything.
And where did anyone say that she didn’t have anything to do with it? Sounds like she killed the kid, and they both got rid of the body.
You know, learning to read is quite a good skill, but comprehending what you read? Priceless.
LOL
Geez. I’m guessing Tim Tkachik as a fan of the Trammps? Burn Timmy burn!! I’m glad the dick’s face is extra crispy. Too bad it’s too late for that poor child.
really? screw off
Either you are related to the dude, or have suffered some kind of burn that makes you extra sensitive to hese burn remarks because you are getting on my nerves… REALLY.. get off this site if you are one of those pathetic people on this site that would rather be victims of monsters instead of doing everything in your power to protect yourself, your loved ones and most importantly KIDS around you.
I know them both and think the whole situation is sick. Trust me I was up many sleepless nights since this has happened. i have a little girl that is about Jada’s age and I am so scared about people now. I said that out of anger b/c i can’t believe some things people say. I just hope that everything comes out and justice is served. I will never speak to either of them and now her parents don’t have her either. Did you know that Engelica was her godmother? The whole thing is sick! You can’t believe the stress that everyone involved has experienced. I would think after the pain that was felt after what happened with his mother and aunt he would know better
This is fucking disgusting. Sadly I knew that they wouldn’t find her alive and that this bitch would have something to do with it. I feel for the mom as she must be beside herself because she left her daughter with this fucking junkie. I just wish that someone had seen what a hazard Engelica was not only to herself but to others. I do find it interesting that her name is spelled with and ‘E’ because she was definitely no Angel. Seems like someone knew this bitch was going straight to hell. Hope she burns worse than her fuck wad boyfriend.
Good point about the spelling….. sometime fuck tards just label themselves or other family members, some names should be red flags….
I forgot where i was, but there was a mother who kept yelling at her child – name pronounced like Ty Rez…. name’s spelling Tires….
The worst name I ever saw was apparently “supposed” to be elegant and beautiful. I guess they pronounced it Miss-Ta-Cue, but they spelled it Mystaque. Phonetically, that is MISTAKE!
Next wost is a tie: Latrasha, and Latrina – The first may as well be La-Dumpster and the second Toiletta.
The two funniest names I ever saw were Virginia Hamm, and Bong Hitt.
And the most snickerworthy name ever? Richard Limp. Last name first? Limp, Dick.
What about Chytoria? Sounds like an STD. And Orange Amir Taylor? Who names their kid after fruit? (Excluding Apple Paltrow. Hollywood types are weird.) I knew of twins named oranjello and lemonjello (Orange Jello and Lemon Jello) Their mother was unimaginative. And there is a guy I know named Dick Fisher. Hahahaha! Lots of jokes at his expense (he fishes for dicks!!!)
Oh yeah and lest we forget the poor girl named Female, because her mother thought that the hospital named her child for her. Of course, the dark-skinned mother thought it was pronounced Fuh-mall-ee. (didn’t mention a race, as dark-skinned could describe a dark white person, a black person, a middle-eastern person, or an especially dark samoan >:) )
Those names were pretty funny. I actually went to school with a girl named Chanda Lear (& her mom named her this on purpose because she thought it would be cool for her kid’s name to sound like chandelier).
I also went to school with two foreign exchange students that were cousins whose names were Long Dong and Ding Dong.
But, the funniest name belonged to a kid’s dad that I went to school with. This kid was named Dennie Dick. The story of how the entire school learned his dad’s name was pretty funny. The school was having problems with the intercom system working in particular classrooms, so they were making any announcements over the intercom that would air in all the classes on the entire campus. Long story short, his dad came to pick him up to take him somewhere and the worker in the office decided to use the intercom to page Dennie to come to the office to be checked out of school. The worker said into the intercom…..”Dennie Dick……Dennie Dick…….Your father, Harry Dick, is here to check you out. Dennie Dick….we have a Harry Dick waiting for you in the office.” Well, you could hear the entire school laughing (kids and teachers). What was really funny though was Dennie happened to be in the same class with me when we got that message and he looked as though he wanted to just go crawl under a rock and die.
One of my friend’s mother went out with a plumber named….. Lee King!
Since we are talking about weird names, I have to get in on the conversation ( I think I may have posted this before as a comment on another story, but it fits right in here so I will repeat it.)
I was in the grocery store or somewhere public like.
I heard some woman (NO race noted, I will let you draw your own conclusions) screaming “Currency”.
So I looked down on the floor, expecting to find a prize!! No such luck. :(
She was calling her daughter, who I shit you not, was not only named Currency, but was wearing a t-shirt covered in dollar bill designs. (Again, draw your own conclusions)
That poor angel! My deepest condolences go out to the mother, father, and family of this little girl! Jada was a beautiful little girl with a cherub’s face! I hope these two scumbags get what’s coming to them! RIP Jada!
Great job Mazzi.
poor sweet girl. This is making me (tough as nails bitch who doesn’t shed a tear EVER) tear up… I just don’t understand how people can be so crule to ANYONE, let alone innocent babies.
I may very well be the most liberal left wing bleeding heart out there.. but not when it comes to criminal justice. These fuckers have it too easy. Hell is too good for them.
Absolutely horrific and disgusting.
Just another reminder that we can’t be too careful about who we leave our children with. Why is Engelica so happy to watch kids for hours/days on end, were there cases of abuse before? Seems strange that Engelica would just start being abusive out of the blue. Someone may have known that she abused the family’s children this way but it was a free, convenient babysitter. Sick.
I agree with you. When I wrote the article I was not insinuating that the mom was Ms. Perfect.
I personally think it’s strange to go off and leave your kids, especially to “visit friends”. I also wonder if punishments are harsh in the family in general. Spanking a kid for potty training is a tradition in many families – but I consider it dysfunctional.
But, from what family members have said, the family is the type that passes kids around. (The “takes a village” kind, sort of). And Castillo was “always with a baby on her hip” according to a family member. I would question the wisdom of an 18 year old watching my baby, but I can understand, at least on the surface, why this mom might have no problems trusting her.
The important thing, in my opinion, is that the mom did what was reasonable in her life. Even if her trip was to go get laid and get wasted, she left her kid with what she considered a responsible person. She maintained a good relationship with the child’s father, who seems to be pretty responsible himself (he and his wife would take Jada every other weekend) so leaving Jada with Castillo was probably not a “last ditch” choice for the mom.
Now, the boyfriend. As we all know, boyfriends are not a good idea with babies. HOWEVER – if his story is true, he “tried” to stop Castillo from hurting the kid. No matter how revolting and disgusting his actions were after the fact, he may not have been the instigator in this murder. (But just to be clear, he needs to fry too).
I have a question about the pot and heroin usage that has come out after the fact. I have never personally known a heroin addict (though I have known many potheads), but isn’t heroin technically a euphoric depressant? Wouldn’t a junkie be LESS likely to beat a kid, and more likely to just ignore it to death? It’s not like a meth or pcp (or even alcohol) user, where violence is a normal reaction.
Anyway, lots of questions about this case, but unlike MANY cases, where I put a huge chunk of blame on the parents, at this point I just have huge sympathy for them.
Mazzi… it’s true that what’s normal for one family isn’t always the norm for another… and if indeed Jada’s mom went off to party, then it may have been more responsible to leave her daughter in the care of the cousin who is always babysitting and taking care of kids in the family.
So far, there doesn’t seem to be anything that indicates that the mom was aware of her cousin’s tendencies including drugs and abuse (if the abuse was indeed a tendency). I don’t blame the mom (yet). But I do wonder what would cause Engelica to flip her lid all of a sudden and turn into an abuser (if she wasn’t one already).
LOL @ I know many potheads but no heroin addicts… same here… and I don’t know about the effects heroin has on one’s actions… but I don’t think it’s the same as meth, for example.
I think more will be coming out on this case… thank you for the informative write-up.
trust me she was aware. tim went to jail 3 times for drugs come on! he was a known dealer
Interestingly, it is likely that you know at least one or two, or at least see them around. In my area, everyone is on Oxycontin, which is synthetic heroin they sniff and sooooooo many people are doing it, people you would not suspect. I think the beatings probably occurred when they were fiening it out and trying to get more shit because people go fucking crazy when they are itching. It is a really bad drug. Worse than crack even, and prescribed by doctors. SICK.
Yeah that is what they were saying in the articles that they were high. I think its absolutely sickening what happened.
You’re right about the heroin. Junkies simply get high and FORGET they even HAVE kids. Besides, who’s going to spend precious money on food, diapers, formula and medical care for a kid when you could spend it on a fix? Every heroin addict I know has had their children taken away from them, either by family or the state.
But you’re right. Heroin doesn’t make you beat your kids. You get high and nod off and it takes too much energy to beat them or kill them, or even feed them at that point.
UPDATE JUNE 27th, 2009 – Updated video clip and newspaper article. New clip has details of Tim Tkachik’s statement to police about Jada’s last moments. New article has more details of Tkachik’s confession and his and Engelica Castillo’s actions after Jada died.
DAMN Max. Once they realized the baby was dead, they went home, swapped cars and continued on to the heroin dealer? Holy crap!
I have tried my damnedest to figure out how this girl could possibly be innocent, and I just can’t come up with ANYTHING. Even if Tim killed Jada, she is just as culpable. Her lawyer is either grasping at straws or buying time. But she is fucked. Boyfriend has sung, and his story sounds plausible. He’s gonna get the deal if anyone does.
I hope those burns leave permanent scars on Tim Tkachik so that everytime that he looks at himself in a mirror he will be reminded of what he did to that baby. As bad as Tim Tkachik is, Engelica Castillo is even worse. How could she do this to her own little baby cousin? Trust me…..the “heroin/drugs made me do it” defense won’t work in this case. I don’t care what kind of drugs someone is doing, the drugs don’t do the crime – the people do the crime. This bitch deserves to be skinned alive and then burned, along with her POS boyfriend. My condolences go out to Justice’s mother, father, and their families. RIP Justice!
Hm I wonder about the charges on the bf. It might be wiser to charge him as an accessory or with manslaughter, especially in light of his confession and if they can’t find any evidence that he offed the girl himself. Also I believe there is the aggravated factor of tampering with the body. Can’t that be a charge in itself?
Then again, I am no lawyer.
I was really hoping they’d find this baby alive. I guess happy stories like that only come along once in a while. What the fuck is wrong with people?
“They should have the same fate she had, if you ask me,” Swiontek said of Castillo and Tkachik.
Works for me too! I’ve got plenty of charcoal and lighter fluid, drop on by any time.
This story was completely nuts. Everyone in this case should be prosecuted. The mother should be prosecuted and sent to court ordered classes for childcare (in the case of other children in the household) and both the cousin and her bf should be executed. The mother should have known the ways of her cousin. This is just an unfortunate example of what children are subjected to. In the case of the baby in the shoebox, Baby Jada would have been better of as one of them. A baby who will be saved from a life of uncertainty, neglect, abuse, and delinquency.
Ummm, what the fuck is a class going to teach the mother if she hasn’t learned from this? Most users are VERY good at hiding what they do, and even from other people they live with.
Here is the probable cause affidavit http://www.nwi.com/extras/pdfs/JADAAFFIDAVIT.pdf (I had trouble opening it the first time… when I tried again, no problem.)
Castillo says that the mom dropped Jada off to be potty trained. HUH? The mom says that Castillo asked for Jada to come stay for a visit (she had stayed there before), so she sent her off.
What do you guys think? Maybe Castillo was offering potty-training services, and the mom was like “COOL”? Or do you think that Castillo is lying about that too? Notice that HER initial story actually was pretty good. She seems like a hell of an accomplished liar. Boyfriend – not so much. Thank goodness.
Thank you dear – I put a link to the Arrest Affidavit into the story. Do you know we actually beat DD to press on this story? Woohoo! And our story can kick their story’s ass too, so nah!…LOL.
No one in their right mind volunteers to potty train your kids.
Sorry TBS. I might under the right conditions. In this case, there were 4 other kids at home. If the child was a VERY close relative, if she was comfortable with me and at my home, I might offer to do that. But I have relatively few distractions. I could afford to take the time and reward the successes.
But not at 2, regardless. From what I know, if a 2-year old is ready to go potty, there is no real “training” needed – they get the idea and just need to work on the skill. At three they usually can start to learn the concept if they haven’t figured it out themselves.
Anyway, there is no supporting evidence that Engelica took Jada to potty train her – just Engelica’s word, and we see how easily she can lie.
They both deserve to be locked forever. Tim’s sister should of survived instead of him. What a waste.
Tims sister? he doesnt have one
I think Jay meant Tim’s aunt – his mother’s sister – who was murdered by his father.
oh ok makes sense now
These people are less than pigs. In fact, it’s an insult to pigs to make the comparison (sorry pigs!).
These two hell-bound fiends should burn in the fiery depths of blackest hell. I wish I could push them into the abyss myself.
Well we could always dig a hole, toss some charcol & lighter fluid in, then drop them in – and from a distance – toss in some gasoline!
Or we could pour a couple hundred gallons of fuel into a quarry, toss them in and then toss in a couple of lit cigarettes… >:)
My problems
1. It’s not like a child goes to class one day and is instantly “potty trained”…… it’s not like they are learning facts, it’s a skill which tales a while to learn and in the process many mistakes are made….
2. The burns – I have had a propane grill flare up and my face was not burnt like that. I also worked for a gas company…. when gas explodes as such dry stuff with a low flash point catches fire fast (like hair, eyelashes &eyebrows) , but wet stuff, like flesh does not – it may get a little dryer (like my eyes did) as the flame is quick to come and go. Also because propane is a gas, it’s not going to stick to flesh and burn. Such flesh burns would have o be the result of actually staying near a constant flame – the flames from a grill explosion are gone way too fast.
3. if Tim was not going to stand up to a woman for the welfare of a child, then he needs to have his balls cut off – he is NOT a man and he does NOT deserve to have the toys that come with being a man…
4. The EEC bitch – she should be locked up with her hero Susan Smith…. when one needs blame to stick – just say the magic word “black” worked for Charles Stewart & Susan Smith (for a while anyway)…….. Send her to an NAACP or ACORN meeting or any Obama ralley….
I think her little soul got whatever vengeance it could on the way to Heaven when she burned that sick bastard’s face…I hope the scars are permanent…I just wish he was more disfigured.
Just a misunderstanding my ASS THEY NEED TO BE PUT TO DEATH THAT WAS A CHILD!!!!!!!!
I went to school with Tim. I remember when the incident happened with his mom, aunt and dad. It was a turning point in his life. He has never been the same. That is no excuse though! Dont let what happened in the past hinder your future: especially if it hurts another person. I also have a daughter the same age as Jada. I cant tell you people how sick I am over this! It really makes you look at the people around you and wonder what the hell is going on in their head. I have not talked to Tim in about 4 years but I couldnt believe it when I heard it! Why would you do that? Why?
I’ve heard Tkachic’s side of the story, what’s Engelica Castillo’s side anyone ?
Tkachic supplied the story that Angelica killed Jada. Why are we supposed to believe him ? My theory is that Tkachic killed Jada and scared Angelica into helping him cover-up the death. I’m not sure that they are both addicts, maybe Tkachic is ?
If this is the case then I can understand why Jada’s mother would have left her in the care of her niece.
Was Anglica living with Tkachic ? If so, then I must question leaving the child in the hands of these two.
fuck you all Tim Tkachik is a ok person me made a mistake so back off also for anyone how loves saying thing say it to my face for tim is my cousin. did you all know his father killed his mother and also my mother then himself i would love to see you assholes go through what hell we had to
No, fuck you Joker. You think taking part in a baby killing is just a mistake? Whether or not he actually did the deed doesn’t matter. He could have saved little Jada’s life at any time, but he chose to go with the girlfriend, and that makes him as guilty as she is.
And will you people please stop making excuses for every dirtbag, murderer, and baby raper that we write about just because he’s a friend of yours? I know or know of many men and women who’ve gone through horrible shit when they were kids and are good people today who would never think of doing what your asshole buddy Timmy did. He’s responsible for what happened, not his father, and now he has to pay the price. Anyone who thinks it should be otherwise is a God damn fool.
So since he had a fucked up childhood he should be excused for sitting back and watching as a child got beat. He tried to cover it up, rather then take her to an emergency room, or call an ambulance. If he wasn’t guilty of anything he shouldn’t have tried to hide it. He needs to pay for what he did (or didn’t) do. How would you feel if someone beat the shit out of your kid (or a family member) and someone sat back as it happened? How would you feel if they didn’t bother seeking medical help? You’d want justice, and/or revenge.
Joker zero, I will be happy to tell you in person what I think of you and your cousin. All I need you to do is meet me someplace in So Cal.
Ooo, I almost forgot! I’m also going to stab you in the groin with an ice pick and toss your still-living-but-shocked body off a cliff. I should be able to get away with it because I was raped when I was 8 and had an otherwise nightmarish childhood. I mean, that’s o.k. with you, right? I’d expect you to hold still while I stab and push, because it’s my Karmic due. That’s how life works according to your post. In fact, I’ll use your post as evidence of your consent. Maybe it’ll save me some jail time. I like how you think!
Post your email address, and I’ll be happy to make the necessary arrangements with you. Otherwise shut the fuck up and stop being such a moron.
Oh great. Killing a baby like this is NO MISTAKE. By your thinking than Seung-Hui Cho made a mistake when he massacred 32 people at Virginia Tech or the 19 hijackers made a bad mistake when they crashed airplanes into buildings on September 11, 2001.
Tim and Angelica… what is there to say? Well there’s this. Only Angelica deserves to burn. Why? Not because Tim had a messed up childhood. Nor because of his father. He did nothing to harm the kid. He’s gone through all this hell in his life, and while that may not allow him to do it, you still have to give him a little something. He didn’t kill the kid. He dispose of the body. Why? Because he was afraid of getting sent back to jail again. He never did anything horrible before, but then this. On the bright side, at least he’s started to really focus on the Bible, and all he wants is to have a dinner at our grandma’s. He’s repenting, and Angelica’s isn’t. She keeps changing her story over and over again. So if you think they both need to, just at least think about it. I’m not saying he’s innocent as a puppy. I’m just saying people need to rethink things.
He ignored Engelica when she was killing a child. That alone gets my vote. They took her battered body with them when they went to buy more heroin. What kind of monster does that?
One of the constant points of defense brought up by friends and family members of these criminals is the ‘he was such a nice guy and he had a terrible life’ angle. Your definition of ‘nice guy’ is warped.
They all start to focus on the bible or some other Book. It’s a classic ploy. Repenting won’t give that poor girl her life back. Having dinner with granny won’t do it either. I don’t have to give him a damn thing. There is nothing to re-think.
I’m not saying that anything will fix it. A life is gone, and not coming back. That’s why I think he should just get life. But if the woman who killed the child is just going to keep building a house of lies, it’ll fall down on her eveunatly. He was freaking out, and if somethign like this happend to you, you would too. Don’t feed me any crap about you wouldn’t. Sure you would probably call the cops, ut for the first few hours, you wouldn’t be calm as a turtle. I know that Tim did a horriable thing by burning the body, but things could always be a lot worse. He could have been responsabile for killing her. Hell, he could have killed Jada and Angelica. But you know what? He didn’t. He only did what he did so that Angelica wouldn’t get in trouble. Why? Becuase he thought he loved her. Turns out we were all wrong about that. I half agree and half disagree with you, and I get what your’re saying. But he dosen’t deserve to burn. Only that bit**
You don’t know me to tell me if I would or wouldn’t have reacted upon hearing some bitch beating a child to death. I would have wrestled her off that child and slapped her face. Instead Timothy went and watched the fucking television until it was time to go buy more heroin, ignoring the slow murder of an innocent child. How high did he have to turn the volume to drown out the sound of her murder?
He did that because he loved Engelica? Bullshit. He did it because he was trying to save his own worthless, heroin-freak skin. What a weak, selfish waste he is. How can you possibly try to justify his actions, even ‘Only that bit **’ without puking from self-loathing?
I don’t justify it. He did a very bad thing. But how do you know he ignored it? As I recall from the local papers, they last said that she hadn’t meant to kill her, she had just hither repeatedly in till the next thing you know, dead. Yes it was wrong, but if anything it should just be manslaughter. Did she mean to kill a child? Did he mean to have it happen? What is it his choice? No is the answer to all of the above. Yes she DID hit it repeatedly, and yes she DID kill it, and yes he DID dispose of the body, but they were panicking. Not just about the heroin, but they had just killed a human being. I think that anyone would be just a little bit on edge no? Obviously they weren’t thinking clearly. Maybe it was the drugs. But what ever it was, they didn’t mean to. And I know you probably think that I think this means there should be exoneration but I don’t. That’s why I keep saying life, because while they did take a life, they hadn’t mean to. Yes it was they’re choice to take drugs but it clouded their minds. In any sane condition they wouldn’t have done this. But still that’s just my opinion. Rebuttal?
This may seem like a small thing, but… ‘it’? A child is not an ‘it’. You seem to value Tim’s life over the innocent one he helped snuff out. I can’t quite see eye to eye with that viewpoint. Calling her ‘it’ dehumanizes her. Does Jada deserve that?
When Engelica raised her hand to Jada, Timothy should have intervened. You don’t beat a child like that. A loud spank on the bum to startle her into obedience is different. Do I need to explain why? Then he helped try to cover up the murder. He was not only going to attempt to forget ‘it’s’ murder, but that ‘it’ ever existed at all. What if they had somehow gotten away with this? After all Jada went through, to never be mourned properly is equal to spitting in her face.
What else is he going to do that will be excused or lessened by his past? And honestly, why should any part of my tax money go towards keeping him alive for the rest of his useless existence? What is he ever going to do for society that he deserves to live?
It became murder the moment they noticed that Jada wasn’t breathing and didn’t get her help. In legal terms, that’s called depraved indifference, and that makes them guilty of second degree murder at least. So is walking into another room while someone else is committing murder. And this is assuming Tim was telling the absolute truth in his confession. What do you think the odds are of that, SummerGlau?
More likely, he threw Engelica under the bus, and they are at the least both equally responsible for Jada’s death. I mean, it’s human nature to minimize your involvement in something like a murder.
One more thing, whether or not they intended to Kill Jada is not the question here – The question is would a reasonably intelligent person believe that continuously beating a small child in the head with your fists cause her death. The answer to that is, of course, yes. That also makes it murder.
Being high or otherwise incapacitated because of substance abuse has never been an acceptable defense for any crime, especially child murder.
You know what? I guess I am an idiot. Tim and Angelica both deserve to burn for killing her. I apologize, I was wrong, and I made a mistake. I must have been thinking wrongly. I agree that they both deserve the worst sentence possible : Death. Even if he is my family, you know what, your right. Just because his own father murdered his mother, it’s not alright if he has some problems. So excuse me, I mean EXCUSE ME, for feeling bad for him after all the hell he’s been through. Because three wrongs apparently don’t make a right, and an eye for an eye apparently makes the world blind.
Nope, no excuse. A terrible childhood is not credit to destroy a life and you’re a fool to think otherwise. Family or no, a monster is a monster and you’re defending one. Good for you.
And you’re missing the point man – No one wants you to disown your cousin Tim. I wouldn’t if he was my cousin. Be his friend. Visit him, write him, be a shoulder for him to cry on. Do whatever it takes to make this situation easier for him to go through.
But don’t make excuses for him. Don’t minimize what he did. Encourage him to take responsibility for his actions, without judging him.
This is what I would do for my family member in the same situation as Tim. Otherwise, I’m no friend to him at all. Loyalty is a great thing Joker – I admire the hell out of people like you. But loyalty without common sense does more harm than good, to him and to you.
PORNEEZ!!!!!!!!!
I choose Raputre!
First off no one should be judging anyone because if you knew the situation and not just what you read you would know there have been several stories so who are We to judge we were not there God will give Tim and engelica what they deserve
And I have to agree with joker neither Tim nor engelica are bad Ppl
It was not a pre meditated murder(which doesn’t make it right) but it doesn’t make them monsters
both had messed up childhoods
So maybe their parents are to blame
Or maybe jadas parents shouldn’t have left her with them knowing what their lifestyle was
No excuses what happened was tragic and they deserve what ever they get but that’s not up to us its up to God to decided what will be justice enough for jada
Jada deserves justice
Not just for them to be punished
And for whoever asked y engelica hasn’t said much well im sure she wants too that’s her defenses doing
Who cares about their childhoods. Plenty of us had horrible childhoods and we haven’t killed anyone. That’s a tired, bullshit excuse and you should be ashamed for even trying it. These are two adults, so come off the ‘oh poor Tim he had a horrible childhood” trip. Once you reach a certain age, your childhood has no relevance because you’re able to make your own decisions. Engelica beat her child to death! TO DEATH, you filth! And Timmy let it happen.
What the hell constitutes a bad person in your book? Baby killing is a biggie in mine. Trying to deny that poor dead child justice is another biggie. Timmy tried to burn the evidence, idiot. How does that make him not a bad person?
Fuck you, fuck them and fuck anyone who thinks they’re not bad people. You have no more business in a sane society then they do.
Hm. You got me thinkin’…
What kind of childhood did Tim’s dad have? I bet it was less than rosy. So, by virtue of that terrible childhood it’s o.k. that he killed his wife and then himself. Tim should be fine with it. His dad probably had a bad childhood which negates anything bad he did in Tim’s childhood so Tim really should suck it up and get the hell over it because it was canceled out.
See how that works?
No?
Me either.
Seriously!? You’re blaming the ‘rents!? It always comes to that, doesn’t it? Oh no, never make anyone take responsibility for their wrong-doings, that would make them the bad ones. It must be the parents’ fault. Yes, they are bad people, no it’s not the parent’s fault, and you really should be imaginitive and come up with a real screen name other than “…”
AND how can you possibly blame Jada’s parents!? I hope for your sake you have some mental disease or defect.
The beginning of this post tells me that this person’s argument is completely lacking in merit, and s/he knows it.
The beginning wail — “First off, no one should be judging anyone!” — tells me that … has a pretty strong suspicion that whoever s/he’s defending is guilty as hell.
If this poster had any facts to offer, s/he would come right out and state them.
I also love the “you were not there, you do not know, God will judge blather.” Your fake piety would make me shake my head if I wasn’t too busy puking.
I have a perfect right to judge, based on what I read, and will continue to do so.
Lot of people have bad childhoods and turn out fine. On the other hand, some have really good childhood and turn out bad. Charles Whitman, the UT Clocktower Sniper had a family that was considered perfect by many. Eric Harris/Dylan Klebold had good childhoods and stable parents. Guess how they turned out, Columbine Massacre. Or how about Jeffrey Dahmer, he came from a two parent and stable family. He turned out to be a cannibal.
WOW! I cant beleive all of the hateful things that I have read. When the drugs wore off and reality set in, it was Tim who eventially led police to Jadas body. Unfortunately, I am sorry that he did not react sooner in order to save her life.
WOW! I can’t believe all of the hypocrisy that I have to read in your post. “When the drugs wore off”? Tell me you didn’t type that with a straight face. I’m glad you’re ‘sorry’, but ‘sorry’ won’t get this child her life back. Leading the police to a dead child that he helped kill doesn’t vindicate him, make him a good person or make him less hell-worthy. You’re an enabling fool.
I’m glad all of the wonderful people here can pass judgement bc they’ve never been guilty of looking the other way when they shouldn’t have!! Turning a blind eye…..Only to realize later how terribly a situation can spiral out of control!! Yes Tim is wrong!! no one could judge him more harshly than he is judging himself!! The horrible things that are said and the eye for an eye justice will not bring back that sweet girl….. he would change his actions in a heartbeat if given that chance!! He alone told the truth! His past does not excuse him…. the hell he, his brother and our two young cousins endure is still a nightmare. Let God be the judge………..
Well lets see
Fighting Nazi boneheads
Almost getting arrested in Mumbai India for steping in when a man was beating a boy
Getting arrested in Germany for stepping in when a mother was beating her daughter in the face with a fist
Stepping in for an emo against 3 skins
Stopping on the highway to make sure a woman was OK when she lost controll of her car
Variouls accidents wittnessed on the german autobahns
I don’t look the other way fuckhead. I step up.
Does that answer your weak bullshit excuse? You are just as bad as the guilty as you make excuses for them. Fuck you please crawl back under the rock from whice you came.
No asshole, I’ve never been guilty of looking the other way while an innocent child was beaten to death, so I guess that gives me the right to judge Tim – according to your rules, that is.
And why should we all take Tim’s statement as gospel for what happened. It’s human nature to minimize one’s responsibility in situations like that. My gut tells me he had a lot more to do with it than he’s saying, or he wouldn’t have been so eager to get rid of her body. One thing I know about is how well junkies can lie, and I believe Timmy boy told the whopper of his life to the cops that day. But they got what they wanted – he implicated himself and he hung Engelica, so why push him?
You should try thinking outside the box once in a while C.A.K.P. It will keep you from sounding like a complete asshole all the time.
Blah, blah, blah. Why do fools like you always invoke god when it comes to situations like this? It can’t be a coincidence. God has an extraordinarily needy and stupid fan-base.
I have NEVER turned a blind eye to someone being beaten or abused. NEVER. I take it you have though, since you find it so easy to relate to Timothy. How you can bring yourself to relate is absolutely beyond my comprehension. You’re filth, just like him.
Yer not sorry about shit as you are a sorry sack of shit.
I don’t take drugs. I do beat those who come to my place stoned or on something as they should know my rules by now.
So just because he took the police to where the body was excuses everything and he is going to heaven? Fuck that. Guilty is guilty and here you are his great defender. You are guilty also.
And you are a complete idiot. I, in now way am an enabler. I was not there holding their hands when all this happened, and correct me if im wrong, but isnt engelica the one who killed jada by beating her to death. Granted he is an a accessory to murder, and he will be prosecuted for his crimes. And for all the idiots that think that his father had a terrible upbringing, you are WRONG!!! He had a normal middle class upbringing, with no abuse, or mental illness. ONLY GOD CAN TRUELY JUDGE EITHER ONE OF THEM FOR THEIR ACTIONS.
Yeah, well I just got off the phone with God, and He said to tell you that Tim sucks. That’s straight from the Big Man Himself. If there’s one thing The Almighty can’t stomach it’s people who have anything to do with the murder of innocent little children. So if you’re betting on any sympathy from that end, I’d forget about it. I’m an intimate acquaintance of The Lord (that why I get to run this poll), so I know what I’m talking about.
He also asked me to tell you to shut the fuck up, you’re giving Him a headache.
it’s so much fun committing blasphemy on a sunday afternoon…lmao!
-editor
LMAO!
It’s okay, Max. The Big Man forgives ya, lol
Was good to talk to you Max. You need to call me more often. Maybe stop by for a few brews and we can shoot the shit for a while.
You are an enabler. You know you’re an enabler, which is why you reacted so violently to that word. Accept it. Wear the label. You earned it.
You are enabling him to feel better about what he did by pointing out what you think is the real reason for his actions. Certainly it’s not because he’s a monster, right? It’s all because he had a shitty childhood. Most people on the planet have had what they consider to be shitty childhoods, and many of them are right. Do most of us bury our heads in the sand when something so horrible as this is happening? FUCK no. He has no right to feel better.
Hypocrisy is a wonderful drug. Let us know when you come down.
The family members here are bad this time. Killing of a child and they are defending it with the worst excuse anyone could ever come up with. A hard childhood. WOW I am amazed that anyone could or even try to come up with this bullshit.
I don’t care if he had it rough growing up. I DO NOT GIVE A SHIT. He helped commit a disgusting cowardly act. HE need to be brough to me for 3 days. I will show him the errors of his ways. He will beg for me to take his life. I will give him a rusty dull butter knife to do it himself. But we all know he is to much of a coward to do it.
Please let me play with him.