On October 8, 2025, a 911 call shattered the quiet of New Britain’s Clark Street. Behind an abandoned property, in a 40-gallon plastic tote dusted with ammonia-scented powder, lay the skeletal remains of 11-year-old Jacqueline “Mimi” Torres-Garcia. The discovery, gruesome and heart-wrenching, ended a year-long mystery about the girl’s whereabouts—a mystery her mother, Karla Garcia, her aunt, Jackelyn Garcia, and her mother’s ex-boyfriend, Jonatan Nanita, had meticulously concealed. On November 12, 2025, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner delivered its verdict: Mimi died of “fatal child abuse with starvation,” her death ruled a homicide. Weighing just 27 pounds at the time of discovery, her body told a story of prolonged torment—malnutrition so severe it stripped her of vitality, leaving only a husk of the vibrant child who once lit up New Britain’s schoolyards.

Bodycam footage from October 12, released by New Britain police, captures the arrests of Karla and Jackelyn in visceral detail—a chaotic scene of handcuffs, defiance, and a crowd’s righteous fury. The video, paired with warrants, autopsy reports, and Department of Children and Families (DCF) records, paints a chilling portrait of a family’s descent into cruelty and a system’s failure to intervene. This is the story of Mimi Torres-Garcia: her stolen childhood, the horror of her final days, and the arrests that exposed a web of abuse and deception. It’s a tale that demands not just tears but action—a call to fix the cracks in Connecticut’s child protection framework before another child vanishes into silence.

A Fragile Beginning: Mimi’s Early Years

Born in January 2013 in New Britain, a city of resilient immigrant communities and hidden poverty, Jacqueline “Mimi” Torres-Garcia entered a world of instability. Her mother, Karla Garcia, was 17, already entangled in the juvenile justice system and residing in a detention center at delivery. Mimi’s father, Victor Torres, was not married to Karla, and their relationship was fraught. From birth, Mimi and her younger sibling were placed with their paternal grandmother, who became their legal guardian, shielding them from their parents’ chaos.

The Connecticut Department of Children and Families (DCF) first opened a case file in April 2014, prompted by concerns over Mimi’s sibling. Over two years, DCF provided counseling, parenting classes, and home visits, closing the case in 2016 with notes that the children seemed “safe and visible.” Brief investigations in 2017 and 2021, triggered by anonymous tips, ended similarly—insufficient evidence, no action taken. Mimi’s medical records through May 2024 showed a healthy 85-pound girl, with routine check-ups raising no alarms.

At school, Mimi was a spark. Enrolled in New Britain’s Consolidated School District from kindergarten through fifth grade, she earned the nickname “Mimi” for her infectious smile and love for drawing fantastical creatures. Teachers recall her volunteering for class plays, her laughter echoing on the playground. But beneath the surface, family tensions simmered. By 2021, Victor and Karla shared joint custody, a fragile arrangement that collapsed in June 2024 when a family court judge, backed by DCF assessments, awarded Karla sole custody.

That summer marked Mimi’s disappearance from public view. On June 10, 2024, Victor waved goodbye at her fifth-grade graduation—the last time he’d see her alive. Days later, Karla withdrew Mimi from school, citing a move to Farmington and plans for homeschooling. Connecticut’s lax homeschooling laws—no required progress reports or check-ins—provided a veil of secrecy. The email to school officials was curt, offering no curriculum details, just a form. It was a calculated move into isolation.

A House of Horrors: The Abuse in Farmington

In the family’s Farmington townhouse, Mimi’s life became a living nightmare. Arrest warrants reveal a campaign of systematic cruelty: for two weeks in September 2024, Mimi was zip-tied to furniture, beaten, and deliberately starved as punishment for minor infractions—spilled milk, a forgotten chore, or simply existing. Karla admitted to police she withheld food for 14 days, claiming Mimi was found lifeless in bed one morning. Jonatan Nanita, Karla’s 30-year-old boyfriend with a history of domestic disputes, allegedly participated, using belts and fists to enforce compliance. Jackelyn Garcia, Mimi’s aunt, was complicit, either restraining the girl or turning a blind eye.

The autopsy, released November 12, 2025, by Chief State Medical Examiner Dr. James Gill, laid bare the horror: cause of death, “fatal child abuse with starvation”; manner, homicide. Mimi’s remains, weighing just 27 pounds, showed severe malnutrition—no fat reserves, atrophied muscles, and brittle bones. Subtle signs of chronic trauma—ligature marks, healed rib stress fractures, and dental erosion from hunger-induced vomiting—painted a picture of prolonged suffering. She was a shadow of the 85-pound girl from her last doctor’s visit in May 2024.

Why? Court records suggest Karla’s unraveling under financial strain and a volatile relationship with Nanita. Jackelyn, paroled in August 2025 after serving 8.5 months for nearly killing her own infant daughter in 2020, brought a history of violence. X posts from shocked locals capture the outrage: “How does a family like this keep hurting kids?” one user wrote, sharing arrest footage. Karla told police most punishments were at Nanita’s direction, but warrants reveal all three “admitted to intentional restraint, neglect, and cruelty.”

DCF’s final contact came in January 2025, months after Mimi’s death. A complaint about her sibling prompted a video call where Karla presented a girl claiming to be Mimi—a ruse, as forensics confirm her death in September 2024. DCF closed the case in March 2025, noting “no concerns.”

A Year of Deception: Hiding Mimi’s Body

Mimi’s death didn’t prompt grief—it sparked a cover-up. Her body, wrapped in trash bags and doused with ammonia to mask the odor, was stored in the Farmington basement. When Karla, Nanita, and Mimi’s sibling moved to a Tremont Street apartment in New Britain in March 2025, the tote came too, its stench forcing them to stay in hotels or with friends. Karla posted carefree selfies online, Nanita worked odd jobs, and Jackelyn visited for “family dinners.”

Victor, suspicious, filed a missing person report in late 2024, but Karla’s claims of Mimi visiting relatives out-of-state stalled inquiries. He told police that when his other daughter graduated fifth grade on June 9, 2025, Mimi was absent, and Karla claimed she was “in school.” The younger sibling, now in foster care, later spoke of “the bad room” where Mimi “disappeared.”

The facade crumbled in September 2025. Nanita’s new girlfriend, disturbed by his comments about “moving a heavy tote,” led friends to the Clark Street property. On October 8, they opened the bin, spotting a skeletal elbow curled in a fetal position amid a laundry basket and bedding. A 911 call unleashed a storm of police activity.

The Arrests: Chaos on Tremont Street

The bodycam footage from October 12, 2025, captures the arrests with raw intensity. At 8:47 p.m., officers swarm Karla’s Tremont Street apartment, a crowd of 20-30 neighbors already gathered, shouting “Monster!” and “Where’s Mimi?” The air crackles with fury—some claim to have chased Karla earlier that day, others bang on police car windows, attempting to reach her.

Karla opens the door in pajamas, her face a mask of confusion. “We can check, right? Is Jacqueline here? Your sister’s here? Where is she?” a detective asks, voice steady but firm. Before she can answer, officers guide her to the porch. “Step out here. Step right up,” one says, snapping handcuffs on her wrists. Karla remains silent, eyes darting to the crowd. She mutters, “Can you grab my phone? It’s in the room,” a jarring request amid the chaos. Officers retrieve it as flashlights sweep the apartment.

Inside, the search intensifies. “Jonatan! Come out!” officers shout, checking closets and bedrooms, expecting Nanita. “He’s not in here?” one asks. “No, we haven’t seen him,” Jackelyn responds from a bedroom doorway, disheveled and defiant. “Turn around. Put your hands behind your back, you’re under arrest,” an officer commands. Jackelyn resists verbally: “For what? Car?”—invoking her sister’s nickname. “We’ll explain,” the officer replies, cuffs clicking shut. She demands answers: “What am I being charged with?” The response is blunt: “Your niece was starved to death, and her body was kept in a tote.”

The sisters exchange fleeting glances—panic, not surprise—before being escorted to separate squad cars. Outside, the crowd surges, some attempting to break car windows. An officer later tells booking staff, “I was just trying to get her out of there because they were trying to get to her.” At booking, Karla claims she was chased by “people with guns,” insisting she “didn’t do nothing.” Asked about her children, she hesitates, exhaling deeply before saying her oldest is “12,” a lie betraying her knowledge of Mimi’s fate. She grows emotional, saying, “All I’m thinking about is what they’re going to do to my kids.”

On October 8, Karla had sought refuge at the New Britain Police Department, claiming she was being pursued. Bodycam shows her entering at 10 p.m., an officer noting, “It’s safer here.” She wasn’t arrested then, only questioned, as police pieced together the case. The October 12 raid was deliberate—warrants issued after anonymous tips and forensic evidence confirmed the tote’s contents.

Nanita, absent from the apartment, sparked a manhunt. Tracked to a Waterbury motel on October 13, he surrendered after a tense standoff, bodycam capturing his bloodied face and pleas: “I didn’t do that to that girl, bro!”

Charges and Courtroom Drama

The indictments are staggering. Karla faces murder with special circumstances, conspiracy to commit murder, tampering with evidence, intentional cruelty to a child, unlawful restraint, risk of injury to a child, and disposal of a dead body—held on a $10 million bond. Jackelyn is charged with intentional cruelty, unlawful restraint, reckless endangerment, risk of injury to a child, and four additional counts of risk of injury—$2 million bond, parole revoked for her prior conviction. Nanita faces murder, conspiracy, tampering with evidence, and improper disposal of a body—$5.75 million bond, with his attorney requesting protective custody due to inmate threats. All three are due in Litchfield Judicial Courthouse on November 14, with prosecutors eyeing the death penalty for Karla and Nanita.

In interrogations, blame shifted. Karla claimed Nanita directed the punishments, admitting she starved Mimi and found her dead in bed. Nanita accused Karla of the starvation, admitting he moved the body to Clark Street after trying a cemetery. Jackelyn, who told police she “knew Jacqueline was going to die” in August 2024, claimed minimal involvement but admitted to using zip ties. Forensic evidence—DNA, ammonia traces, and the tote’s contents—ties them together.

Systemic Failures and Community Outrage

New Britain is reeling. Vigils light up Clark Street, teddy bears and candles encircling the site where Mimi’s remains were found. “Mimi’s Law,” a grassroots push for mandatory homeschooling oversight, gains traction, with Rep. Liz Linehan vowing legislative action: “Abusers exploit loopholes—this ends now.” DCF faces intense scrutiny. Commissioner Joette Katz released a timeline October 17, admitting “evolving” lapses but defending closures as evidence-based. Critics, including the Office of the Child Advocate, point to a pattern: schools, silenced by homeschool withdrawals, are critical sentinels. A similar case in Waterbury saw a boy “homeschooled” into isolation for a decade.

Lawmakers like State Sen. Ceci Maher demand answers: “DCF did not meet the moment here.” Two people reported concerns to DCF in 2024 and 2025, but no abuse was substantiated. On X, #JusticeForMimi trends, blending fury with reform pleas: “Homeschool freedom shouldn’t mean child prison.”

Victor clutches Mimi’s graduation photo: “She was my light. How do I explain this to her sister?” The younger sibling, thriving in foster care, draws pictures of a “big sister angel.” A family friend’s Facebook post mourns: “Our sweet Mimi… No words can describe what we’re feeling.”

A Call for Vigilance

As the bodycam’s final frame fades—squad cars vanishing into the night—Mimi’s story lingers as a searing indictment of complacency. Her death, caused by “fatal child abuse with starvation,” is more than a crime; it’s a mirror to society’s blind spots. Will “Mimi’s Law” close homeschooling loopholes? Will DCF reform its oversight? Or will her name fade into headlines?

In New Britain, where factory smokestacks pierce the sky, one thing endures: the demand for justice. For Mimi, whose spark was snuffed too soon, we owe more than outrage—we owe vigilance. Lest another child’s scream goes unheard.