Sign up for the Today newsletter
Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered right to your inbox every morning.
Mother, aunt, mother’s boyfriend arrested after girl’s body found in container behind CT home
Police found the remains of 12-year-old Jacqueline “Mimi” Torres-Garcia in a plastic storage bin last Wednesday in New Britain.
The mother, the mother’s boyfriend, and the aunt of a 12-year-old girl whose remains were discovered in a container last week in Connecticut are facing charges relating to her murder, police said.
The three appeared in court Tuesday, NBC Connecticut reported.
Among other charges, the mother and her boyfriend are both charged with murder with special circumstances, and the aunt is charged with cruelty to a person under 19 years of age, according to police.
Police found the remains of 12-year-old Jacqueline “Mimi” Torres-Garcia in a plastic storage bin last Wednesday behind 80 Clark St. in New Britain, the Farmington Police Department said in a press release.
Advertisement:
Investigators determined Torres-Garcia likely died in the fall of 2024 while her family was living in Farmington. Evidence suggests she suffered “prolonged” physical abuse and malnourishment before she died, according to police.
The girl’s mother, Karla Garcia, 29, is charged with murder with special circumstances. She also faces charges of tampering with physical evidence, violation of requirement regarding disposition of a dead body, conspiracy to commit murder, first degree of unlawful restraint, and intentional cruelty to persons under 19 years of age.
Garcia reportedly came into the courtroom on Tuesday crying, according to the Connecticut Post.
Jonatan Nanita, 30, her mother’s boyfriend, was arrested Monday night in Waterbury and is charged with murder with special circumstances. He also faces charges of conspiracy to commit murder, first degree of unlawful restraint, and intentional cruelty to persons under 19 years of age, police said.
Advertisement:
Jackelyn Garcia, 28, the girl’s aunt, also appeared in court. She is charged with intentional cruelty to persons under 19 years of age and first degree of unlawful restraint, according to police.
Police believe Torres-Garcia’s body was initially kept in the family’s basement in Farmington, then moved when the family left Farmington for New Britain in March. Investigators found her remains in an “advanced state of decomposition,” the release said.
Torres-Garcia was homeschooled, which impeded her being reported missing earlier, police said.
The Consolidated School District of New Britain said she was a student from kindergarten through fifth grade, but was withdrawn in August 2024, NBC Connecticut reported.
“On August 26, 2024, which would have been Jacqueline’s first day of sixth grade, her mother, Karla Garcia, filed an official Notification of Withdrawal Out of New Britain School District form stating that the student’s new address would be in Farmington. On that same day, Garcia filed a Notice of Intent: Instruction of Student at Home form with the district,” the school district said in a statement, according to NBC Connecticut.
“She was my love. She was everything for me,” Felix Osorio, her grandfather, told NBC Connecticut.
Advertisement:
Osorio said he hadn’t physically seen Torres-Garcia in two years, and her mother would make excuses about why his granddaughter couldn’t FaceTime him, according to NBC Connecticut.
The Department of Children and Families said that they’re reviewing their involvement with the girl’s family and said Torres-Garcia’s siblings are safe and in state custody, according to NBC Connecticut.
“This is a heartbreaking and deeply disturbing case. Our detectives, along with our local and state partners, have worked tirelessly to uncover the truth and to bring justice for Jacqueline. No child should ever have to endure such suffering,” New Britain Chief Matt Marino and Farmington Chief Paul Melanson said in a joint statement.
Both Nanita and Karla Garcia’s bonds were put at $5 million, and Jackelyn Garcia’s bond was set at $1 million, according to police.
The three are scheduled to appear in court next on Nov. 14.
With the help of other local law enforcement, Jonatan Nanita was taken into custody this evening. Further details regarding tonight’s arrest will be made available at a later time. pic.twitter.com/TTItd8X7y2
— Farmington CT Police (@FarmingtonCTPD) October 14, 2025
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com