The mother of an 11-year-old girl whose remains were found in a container in New Britain this month admitted to police she “stopped feeding” the child in the weeks before she died, according to search warrants obtained by investigators.
The child’s aunt told Farmington police she knew the girl “was going to die” and she had witnessed “patterns of abuse” in the weeks before the child is believed to have died, the warrants said.
The documents describe what police believe happened leading up to the death of Jacqueline “Mimi” Torres-Garcia, who is only identified in the documents by her birth date.
After the discovery of her remains, the girl’s mother, Karla Garcia, told New Britain police she was about to do a “podcast” about what happened to her daughter when she came under suspicion in the death.
Police discovered the child’s remains in a container that had been dumped on an abandoned property on Clark Street in New Britain on Oct. 8, the warrants said. She was in an “advanced state” of decomposition when she was found, police said. According to the state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, there were no signs of recent trauma or injuries to her body that would have contributed to her death, the warrants said.
Farmington police obtained the warrants to search the cellphones of Karla Garcia and her sister, Jackelyn Garcia, for the period between June 21, 2024 and Oct. 12, 2025, the documents said.
The two women and Karla Garcia’s boyfriend, Jonatan Nanita, have been charged in the child’s death. Police said last week they believe Jacqueline died in the fall of 2024.
Farmington police made the arrests because the family was living in that town where they believe the abuse occurred.
During an interview with a Farmington investigator, Karla Garcia said she told her sister the child died on Sept. 19, 2024, the warrants said. While speaking with New Britain police, Karla Garcia said Nanita had taken the child’s body somewhere downstairs in the apartment they had rented, but the odor of the decaying remains was “so strong” they had to leave the Farmington residence and stay with friends or in a hotel, the warrants said.
Before her death, Karla Garcia said she would restrain the 11-year-old with “zip ties” when “she was acting badly,” the documents said. She later told Farmington police she and Nanita used zip ties on the girl and withheld food from her, the warrants said.
Jacqueline’s mother also said she had taken notes on her cellphone for the podcast, the search warrants said.
Jackelyn Garcia told New Britain police she had lived with the child, Karla Garcia and Nanita on and off from June to August 2024, the warrants said.
During that time, Jackelyn Garcia said she witnessed abuse and neglect, including Jacqueline being confined in a corner of a room, being restrained with zip ties and not being fed, according to the search warrants.
The 11-year-old ran away at least twice, Jackelyn Garcia told police, according to the warrants, but was found by a relative and then restrained with zip ties. She also captured a photo of the child tied up and on the floor on “pee pads” that she sent to Karla Garcia, the warrants said.
Authorities are now piecing together what happened, including uncovering what appeared to be an elaborate scheme to keep the death a secret.
Officials from the state Department of Children and Families said Friday they believe Karla Garcia had another child pose as her daughter during a virtual wellness check earlier this year after she is believed to have already been killed.
Karla Garcia had told the agency, which was investigating a complaint involving Jacqueline’s younger sibling, that the 11-year-old was being homeschooled in another state and she could only speak to case workers virtually, the agency said.
New Britain school officials said Jacqueline was withdrawn from school by her mother in August 2024 and Karla Garcia submitted an intent-to-homeschool form on the same day.
Farmington and New Britain police said they believe the child died weeks later.
This article originally published at Connecticut mom admitted she ‘stopped feeding’ child weeks before she died, warrants show.
