The mother of an 11-year-old girl whose remains were found outside a New Britain home earlier this month allegedly admitted to investigators that the child was regularly restrained with zip ties as a punishment and that she stopped feeding her in the weeks leading up to her death, court documents show.
Karla Garcia, 29, spoke to detectives on Oct. 8, the same day Jacqueline “Mimi” Torres’ body was found in an advanced state of decomposition outside a boarded up home on Clark Street, as well as the following day, according to a search warrant investigators used to seize her cell phone.
During the interviews, she allegedly told police that Jacqueline would regularly be restrained with zip ties if she misbehaved, the warrant said. Garcia allegedly admitted she and her boyfriend, 30-year-old Jonatan Nanita — who share three children together — zip tied Jacqueline and refused to give her food for two weeks prior to her death on Sept. 19, 2024, according to the warrant.
The warrant said police received an anonymous tip the day Jacqueline’s remains were discovered alleging that Nanita picked up a “tote” in the woods of a cemetery and put it in the back of his Acura. He then allegedly drove to Clark Street and ditched the storage tote, which was later found to contain Jacqueline’s body, the warrant said.
An autopsy found that Jacqueline’s body showed no signs of recent trauma or injuries that could have contributed to her death, according to the search warrant. The doctor who performed the autopsy found that she was malnourished.
The cause and manner of death have not yet been released by the Connecticut Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, though police have said they believe Jacqueline suffered prolonged physical abuse and malnourishment prior to her death.
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During interviews with investigators, Garcia allegedly admitted that she knew Nanita brought Jacqueline’s body into the basement of their residence on Wellington Drive in Farmington and that it started to smell so bad that they eventually had to stay at a hotel or with friends, the warrant said. She also allegedly admitted that Jacqueline’s body was brought to New Britain when they moved out of Farmington in March.
According to the search warrant, the family initially moved to a home on Clark Street and were most recently living on Tremont Street in New Britain. The home on Clark Street was not the same one where Jacqueline’s remains were found, the warrant said.
Police have accused Garcia and Nanita of killing Jacqueline. They each face charges of murder with special circumstances and conspiracy to commit murder, among other offenses.
Prior to her arrest, Garcia told investigators that she planned on appearing as a guest on a podcast where she would tell the story of what happened to her daughter, the search warrant said. She said she made notes in her phone that she planned to use, according to the warrant.
Police have also charged Garcia’s sister, Jackelyn Garcia, 28, who told investigators she lived with the couple in Farmington off-and-on between June 2024 and August 2024, a search warrant used to seize her cell phone said. She faces charges of intentional cruelty to a child under 19 years old, first-degree unlawful restraint and risk of injury to a minor.
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Jackelyn Garcia claimed that she noticed “patterns of continued abuse and neglect,” which allegedly included Jacqueline being confined to the corner of a room, restrained in zip ties and left without any food, the search warrant said. She allegedly told police she took a photo of Jacqueline at one point as she was restrained with zip ties while lying on the ground on top of pee pads, the warrant said. According to the warrant, the aunt said Jacqueline reportedly ran away on two occasions and was found by a family member, which led to her being punished by being further restrained.
When she moved out of the residence in August 2024, Jackelyn Garcia told police she knew that Jacqueline was going to die, the search warrant said. She said she moved back in with her sister on Tremont Street after serving time in prison in connection with a risk of injury to a minor conviction and that, after Jacqueline’s remains were found, Karla Garcia admitted to her that the girl had been dead since September 2024, according to the warrant.
The release of the search warrants comes as the arrest warrant affidavits in all three cases remain sealed by a judge’s order. It also follows the Connecticut Department of Children and Families last week releasing a timeline of the agency’s history with the family.
According to the agency, DCF investigated allegations in January involving Jacqueline’s younger sibling. During that investigation, Karla Garcia allegedly fooled the agency into believing a child who was seen on a video call was Jacqueline despite investigators believing she had already been dead for several months, Interim DCF Commissioner Susan I. Hamilton said.
According to Hamilton, Karla Garcia purported that Jacqueline was being homeschooled and was temporarily living in another state with a relative.
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DCF immediately became involved with the family when Jacqueline was born in January 2013, as Karla Garcia was in a detention center at the time, Hamilton said. Jacqueline lived under the guardianship of her grandmother until she was 9 years old, according to Hamilton. Her younger sibling was also placed with the grandmother in February 2016.
Karla Garcia and Jacqueline’s father, Victor Torres, were reinstated guardianship in May 2022, Hamilton said. According to Hamilton and family court documents, Karla Garcia was granted sole custody of Jacqueline in June 2024, just months before her death.
Karla Garcia and Nanita each remain held in lieu of $5 million bail. Jackelyn Garcia is being held in lieu of $1 million bail. They have not entered pleas to the charges, records show.
