Man arrested after woman stabbed in Home Depot parking lot, officials say

Daniel Ortiz charged with first-degree murder, deputies say

OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. – A man has been arrested after a woman died after being attacked in the parking lot of a Home Depot store Friday, the Osceola County Sheriff's Office said.

Deputies went to the Home Depot at 1651 S. Poinciana Blvd. in Kissimmee in reference to a disturbance.

Deputies said they found a woman -- identified by the Sheriff's Office as Silvia Castillo-Aguilera, 38 -- in the garden center suffering from a laceration to her neck.

Investigators said Castillo-Aguilera was attacked in the parking lot of the store and then ran into the garden center. She suffered knife wounds during the attack.​

Castillo-Aguilera was taken to Osceola Regional Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, deputies said.

Deputies were able to find the suspect -- identified as Daniel Ortiz, 37 -- a short time later. Deputies said he was taken into custody without incident.

An investigation revealed Ortiz and Castillo-Aguilera had a domestic relationship. The Sheriff's Office said the two had met in the parking lot of the Home Depot, which is where the disturbance began.

"My stomach dropped," said one shopper, who said he arrived just as deputies were putting up crime scene tape.

He told News 6 he watched the heroic efforts made by customers and workers to save the woman's life.

"I saw a heavyset man sitting on a lawn chair out of the parking lot, right out in the open," he said. "He had quite a bit of blood on him and no shirt on. I kept hearing him say repeatedly, 'I did everything I could, I did everything I could.'"

He said he assumed the man used his own shirt to stop the woman's bleeding.

Ortiz was charged with first-degree murder, deputies said. He is being held at the Osceola County Jail without bond.

Some of the store's parking lot and the garden center were closed while authorities investigated.

Stay with News 6 and ClickOrlando.com for more on this story.


About the Author:

Erik Sandoval joined the News 6 team as a reporter in May 2013 and became an Investigator in 2020. During his time at News 6, Erik has covered several major stories, including the 2016 Presidential campaign. He was also one of the first reporters live on the air at the Pulse Nightclub shooting.