Tampa, FL (WJET/WFXP) -- Rotesha Silveus, the Erie mother charged in May 2024 with the murder of her 18-year-old daughter, Natavia Sanders, appeared in court for her first hearing last week after being found competent to stand trial earlier this year.
Silveus was previously involuntarily placed in a mental health facility on October 3, 2024, but was returned to police custody at the end of October after the Florida Department of Children and Families found that Silveus "...is competent to proceed, or otherwise no longer meets criteria for continued commitment to the Department."
Court documents show that on January 29, 2025, Silveus was found competent to stand trial following a forensic psychiatric evaluation and criminal competency assessment. Following the order, her first hearing was set for May 14, 2025.
The hearing took place and was subsequently continued, with a second hearing set to take place on August 20, 2025. Court documents also show that the state filed a motion to obtain a DNA swab, which was subsequently granted by the judge.
Silveus is charged with first-degree murder, resisting arrest without violence, and resisting arrest with violence. She is currently being held at the Hillsborough County Jail.
Silveus was initially charged with domestic battery, but in late May, the charge was reclassified to first-degree murder after the medical examiner's office determined the cause of death was a homicide, and detectives said Natavia Sanders' injuries were consistent with strangulation.
In the early morning hours of May 11, dispatchers in Tampa, Florida, received a call from 18-year-old Natavia Sanders, who told the dispatcher that she was "strangled" and had "just woke up from being passed out." According to the criminal report affidavit, she soon informed dispatchers that her mother was "outside my room." What sounded like a door opening was heard, and seconds later, the call was disconnected.
As dispatchers attempted to reconnect with the caller, police were dispatched to the residence. When Tampa police officers arrived, they found that both the front and back doors were locked. After knocking for six minutes, the mother, later identified as 38-year-old Rotesha Silveus, answered the door. After being asked to step outside to talk to officers, she responded, "For what? Nah," before attempting to close the door. Officers were able to block the door with their foot, and after a brief struggle, Silveus was detained. At that point, police began to survey the home.
Officers located 18-year-old Natavia Sanders, who was found to be unresponsive. Police began performing life-saving measures before she was transported to a local hospital in critical condition. It was soon determined, after two tests, that Sanders showed no signs of brain activity and was pronounced dead two days later, on May 13.