On April 29, 2026, Fridley Officers went to [address omitted]. NE, in the city of Fridley, Anoka County, Minnesota, after receiving a call at the location. 911 call dispatch told the responding officers that they received open line with what appeared to be a child crying in the background. The phone hung up and dispatch advised that they got voicemail when they called back. Officer Ramirez arrived at the location first, and while waiting for other officers to arrive overheard an argument between a male voice and a female voice.
The male voice was louder than the female voice. Once other officers arrived they spoke with G. C-A. ([DOB redacted]). Police observed during this initial encounter that G. C-A. Had marks and bruising around her neck. G. C-A. Told police that Jonathan Cortez Castaneda ([DOB redacted]), hereinafter the Defendant, was “abusing her.” G. C-A. And the Defendant have children together. G. C-A told police that they started arguing after the Defendant found a picture of G. C-A. And another man on her phone.
The pair initially were just verbally fighting, but when she tried to walk away the Defendant pulled her into the bedroom and struck her in the face multiple times. She could not say whether he was slapping her or punching her. G. C-A. Said that she fought back, and the pair began “tossing each other around.” While they struggled she felt his arm or hand begin to press down on her neck. G. C-A stated that she has a harder time breathing after the incident and officers observed her coughing. G. C-A could not remember much about how the Defendant was choking her or how she felt while being strangled.
G. C-A said that she believed that he was only attempting to hold her instead of choking her. She stated that the incident made her start coughing more and made it a little harder to breathe. Police attempted to call the Defendant out of the home, but he refused to answer. Police searched the home, but initially could not locate him, and believed he fled the residence. They used a drone to search the surrounding area, without success. As police prepared to enter the last locked room in the basement, Office Rosenberger conducted a second protective sweep of the children’s bedrooms and found the Defendant hiding under the blankets with his daughter.
During a post-Miranda statement the Defendant denied the account of G. C-A, and said that she assaulted him, and that he only held her because of her self-injurious behavior. He told police he confronted G. C-A about speaking with another male, at which point she grabbed the phone from him and smashed it. She then began hitting herself, followed by hitting him, and also biting him on the right wrist. Officer Rosenberger observed scratch marks and a bite mark on the Defendant’s wrist. The Defendant was previously convicted of Domestic Assault on March 5, 2025. See Anoka County District Court file number ••-CR-••-••••.
