Police in New Britain, Connecticut, received a phone call on October 8, 2025, about suspicious behavior at an abandoned home. What they found that day shocked the community. Two witnesses, who wished to remain anonymous, told police they found a container that appeared to have human remains inside. Sadly, authorities identified those remains as Jacqueline Torres-Garcia, a 12-year-old girl known to her family as Mimi. Now, three suspects, including her mother, face charges in her death.
“As a mother, this makes me sick to my stomach to be standing here today,” New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart, shared during a news conference.
Authorities believe Mimi died in the fall of 2024, when her family lived in Farmington, Connecticut, and they moved her remains with them when they relocated. Mimi allegedly endured horrific physical abuse and malnutrition prior to her death. Police called it one of the worst cases of abuse they’d ever seen.
“It takes a toll mentally, physically, and it’s very difficult for us to contemplate how this can happen in a civilized society like ours,” Farmington Police Chief Paul Melanson said during the news conference.
A woman known only as Love, told Fox 61 that she and a friend made the anonymous tip to police. She claimed Jonatan Nanita started leaving clues about a dead body.
“He kind of just told the wrong person where she was,” Love said. “We came and investigated it. And it was a body. He told on himself really.”
She added that learning whose remains police had found horrified her.
“I was disgusted,” said Love. “I had a feeling anyway, it was a human. She told me he said it was a bad man. I was disgusted and devastated when I found out it was a little girl.”
Tragically, it appears that the people Mimi likely trusted the most are the ones who killed her. Police arrested her mother, Karla Garcia, 29, who faces multiple charges, including murder and improper disposal of a body. She’s being held on a $5 million bond. Mimi’s aunt, Jackelyn Garcia, 28, faces child cruelty and first-degree unlawful restraint charges. She’s held on a $1 million bond. The final person arrested, Karla Garcia’s boyfriend, 30-year-old Nanita, also faces murder charges and sits on a $5 million bond.
The case shocked both the community and those who knew Mimi. She was reportedly homeschooled, and her father, Victor Torres, told WFSB he hadn’t seen or heard from Mimi since before her 12th birthday on January 29.
Felix Osorio, Mimi’s paternal grandfather, told NBC Connecticut he adored his granddaughter, but hadn’t heard from Mimi in two years, and her mother reportedly made excuses to his son about why they couldn’t FaceTime with her.
“He was thinking all the time that Mimi just don’t want to see, and he don’t want to like push her,” he said.
Loved ones created a GoFundMe to help with Mimi’s final expenses.
Following Mimi’s death, the Department of Children and Family confirmed prior involvement with the family, WTNH reported. Police reportedly confirmed Mimi’s homeschool status, which made it difficult to keep track of her.
Susan Hamilton, interim commissioner of the Connecticut state DCF, shared a statement with WTNH regarding the tragic case that reads:
“Our hearts remain with all those impacted by Jacqueline’s tragic and shocking death. The Department is invested in being as transparent as possible about the family’s prior DCF involvement without interfering with the active and evolving criminal investigation. We can confirm Jacqueline’s siblings are safe and have been placed together in state custody. We have already begun a thorough review of our history with the family. Consistent with our practice, this multidisciplinary review will include our knowledge about the family, supports provided, casework decisions, adherence to policy, as well as communication and collaboration with other system and community partners. We continue to encourage anyone who has information regarding this matter to contact Law Enforcement.”
We can’t imagine what this family must feel or how horrific Mimi’s life was. Hopefully those who loved her will find closure and peace. If her mother really did kill her with the help of her sister and boyfriend, there’s a special place in hell for all of them.
If you suspect child abuse, you can call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453 (1-800-4-A-Child) or go to Childhelp.org. The hotline is available 24/7.
