The White House has ordered its embassy in Madrid to investigate the death Noelia Castillo, who died by euthanasia last week.
The 25-year-old was administered a lethal dose of drugs at a hospital in Barcelona following a years-long battle for her right to die – which included a legal fight with her father and Christian activists.
The young woman wanted to ‘end her suffering’ after being left partially paralysed when she jumped off of a fifth floor balcony.
The suicide attempt followed a series of sexual assaults, the last one being an alleged gang rape by three men at a nightclub in 2022. She jumped from the building just days later.
Now, the administration of Donald Trump has ordered its embassy in Madrid to look into how Spanish authorities handled her case.
According to a leaked diplomatic cable revealed by the New York Post, the US State Department has formally requested explanations from the Spanish government and raised ‘serious concerns’ over both the police and judicial handling of the case, as well as the application of Spain’s euthanasia law.
Washington is seeking clarification over how Spanish authorities dealt with Castillo’s allegations of repeated sexual assaults prior to her death, including claims of gang rape.
‘We are deeply concerned by reports that Ms Castillo was repeatedly sexually assaulted while under state care and that no one has been brought to justice,’ the cable reportedly states.
The intervention marks the latest flashpoint between Washington and Madrid, with Trump and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez having clashed in recent months over a range of issues, from migration to the conflicts in Gaza and Iran.
In recent days, social media claims have circulated suggesting that while under the care of Catalonia’s social services, Castillo was the victim of a multiple sexual assault by unaccompanied foreign minors.
However, according to her medical and administrative records, there is no evidence of such an incident during her time in residential centres between July 2015 and February 2019.
Sources from the Catalan government’s child protection services have confirmed that no sexual assault was recorded during that period.
The Trump administration has also instructed diplomats to convey its ‘serious concerns’ over what it describes as ‘systemic human rights failures’ that it believes led Castillo to seek assisted suicide.
The State Department claims it has been informed that Castillo ‘expressed doubts’ in the hours before her death and that these were ‘ignored’.
However, in an interview given shortly before her death, Castillo did not express any doubts about her decision.
The requested investigation will also examine the identity of the alleged attackers, their immigration status and any legal barriers that may have prevented charges from being brought.
The cable reportedly references ‘allegations that the assaults were carried out by individuals of migrant origin’, in an attempt to link the case to broader concerns in Washington over ‘mass and illegal migration’.
