Mother of Spanish woman who died by euthanasia after gang-rape ordeal launches bid to track down attackers after finding details in daughter's diary

By ELIANA SILVER, SENIOR FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER Published: 14:01, 16 July 2026 | Updated: 14:26, 16 July 2026 The mother of a Spanish woman who died by euthanasia following a gang-rape ordeal has launched a bid to track down the men who allegedly carried out the attack - after uncovering new details in her late daughter's diary. Noelia Castillo Ramos became paraplegic after jumping from a roof in the aftermath of the alleged assault, before choosing to end her life through Spain's assisted dying law. She died aged 25 on March 26 at the Sant Pere de Ribes assisted living facility in Barcelona. On Thursday, her mother, Yolanda Ramos, announced that she had filed two complaints with the public prosecutor's offices in Barcelona and Tarragona to demand an investigation into the alleged sexual assaults her daughter suffered. Ramos, represented by the Spanish Foundation of Christian Lawyers, seeks to identify the alleged assailants based on evidence from Noelia's diary, which the young woman gave to her on the day she died. In the newly revealed details, Noelia described being forced to have sex by her ex-boyfriend, a man of Pakistani nationality, with whom she had been in a relationship for four years. She also recounted how, after meeting a waiter in the town of Salou in Tarragona, she was drugged, plied with alcohol, and raped by three men. Noelia's suicide attempt caused irreversible damage that left her paraplegic and severely depressed, leading her to request assisted dying years later. Noelia Castillo, from Barcelona, died by euthanasia at the Sant Pere de Ribes assisted living facility Yolanda Ramos announced that she filed two complaints with the public prosecutor's offices in Barcelona and Tarragona to demand an investigation into the alleged sexual assaults  At the time, the family was unable to report the incidents due to a lack of conclusive evidence.  However, following Noelia's death, Ramos gained access to evidence, including her diary, that had not previously been analysed, according to a press release issued by Christian Lawyers. In a video accompanying the press release, Ramos explained that she is seeking justice because that is what her daughter would have wanted. 'Noelia spoke about the rapes on television, and on the very day she died, she gave me her diary. When I read it, I understood many things,' she said. Noelia's case was closely followed in Spain. Her young age, the public battle waged by her family to stop her and the circumstances that led her to seek euthanasia animated public opinion as the courts ultimately ruled in favour of her right to end her life.  Her request for euthanasia was approved by an independent body in Catalonia made up of doctors, lawyers and bioethics experts in July 2024. The body approved Castillo's request based on assessments that evaluated her condition as serious and incurable, and that the 25-year-old had severe, chronic and debilitating suffering. But it was subsequently delayed when her father, supported by Christian Lawyers, launched a series of legal challenges.  Those appeals were rejected at multiple levels of the Spanish legal system, including the Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court, clearing the way for the euthanasia to go ahead. A last-minute attempt to halt it at the European Court of Human Rights was also rejected just days before her euthanasia. Spain's euthanasia law came into force in 2021. According to government data, 426 requests for assisted dying were granted in 2024, the most recent year available. This was the first time that a case went to court for a judge to decide. Castillo, who had been confined to a wheelchair since 2022, had spoken openly about her decision and the suffering she says led her to it. 'I want to go now and stop suffering, period. None of my family is in favour of euthanasia. But what about all the pain I've suffered during all these years?' she said in an interview on Spanish TV before her death. 'I don't feel like doing anything: not going out, not eating. Sleeping is very difficult for me, and I have back and leg pain.' 'The happiness of a father, a mother, or a sister,' she said, referring to her family members, 'cannot be more important than the life of a daughter'.  In an interview broadcast on the Spanish Antena 3 programme Y Ahora Sonsoles, she described how she wants to spend her final moments. 'I've told them how I want it to be. I want to die looking beautiful. I've always thought I want to die looking good. I'll wear my prettiest dress and put on makeup; it will be something simple,' she said. Her father sought to block her euthanasia through the courts, arguing against her right to die, but she accused him of failing to respect her wishes. 'He hasn't respected my decision and he never will,' she said in her final interview. Spain is one of few countries to legalise euthanasia following a 2021 law that comes with strict requirements. She had been left paraplegic after jumping from a roof in a suicide attempt It stipulates that anyone of sound mind who is suffering from a 'serious and incurable illness' or a 'chronic and disabling' condition can request assistance to die. The father had said his daughter suffered from mental disorders that 'could affect her ability to make a free and conscious decision' as required by law. He also said there were indications she had changed her mind and that her ailment did not entail 'unbearable physical or psychological suffering'. Spain is among nine European countries with laws that allow people experiencing unbearable suffering to access assisted dying. The criteria vary by country. Medically-assisted suicide involves patients themselves taking a lethal drink or medication that has been prescribed by a doctor while euthanasia involves doctors or health practitioners, under strict conditions, actively killing patients who meet certain conditions by giving them a lethal injection at their request. For help and support, call the Samaritans for free from a UK phone, completely anonymously, on 116 123 or go to samaritans.org