Did Rosita die in The Walking Dead series?

Rosita Espinosa (Christian Serratos) was introduced in season 4 of The Walking Dead. She was traveling with Abraham Ford (Michael Cudtliz) and Eugene Porter (Josh McDermitt) when they came upon an injured Glenn Rhee (Steven Yeun) and Tara Chambler (Alanna Masterson). Her initial introduction revealed her to be more ornamental than anything but should work hard to prove her worth in later seasons. Serratos asked for Rosita to be killed off in the series finale episode.

Her death was emotional, even though many fans thought she might be a character who didn’t make it to the end because of several clips released from the finale episode. But her death didn’t come how most thought. Many viewers believe Rosita and her baby Coco would die à la Lori & Judith Grimes’ comic deaths, with both mother and daughter dying together.

Rosita’s primary mission at the beginning of the finale episode was to locate her daughter Coco who the Commonwealth took after exiling Rosita and the others. She, Eugene and Gabriel (Seth Gilliam) found the missing children, which led to escaping with the children through a horde of walkers.

The Walking Dead – Rosita

While climbing up a drain pipe with Coco strapped on her chest, Rosita fell into the horde. Although she made it out after her mama bear instincts engaged, allowing her to chop through the walkers, she was bitten on the shoulder. She would wait to reveal this to Eugene, who has always loved Rosita. He was visibly shaken by this information, which was a shock to viewers as well.

Rosita’s death was requested by Serratos, as revealed on Talking Dead. She stated that she didn’t want to survive the show. She felt it was more important to leave Rosita with a legacy of how she lived; for family.

"And for me, as an actor, I wanted closure. I’ve been playing this character for a very long time, and I wasn’t going to see her ever again. So I needed that closure. -Christian Serratos"

Serratos felt the ending of the series needed something emotional, and Rosita dying to save the children was precisely the way to do it. This goes perfectly with the theme of the Commonwealth under new leadership, allowing the next generation to have something to live for. Rosita ensured Coco would be there to see it.

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