The night of October 12, 2025, in New Britain, Connecticut, was pierced by the flashing lights of police cruisers and the crackle of radios. Bodycam footage released by the New Britain Police Department captures a moment that would unravel a year-long deception: the arrests of Karla Garcia, 29, and her sister Jackelyn Garcia, 28, in the murder of 11-year-old Jacqueline “Mimi” Torres-Garcia. The grainy video, timestamped 8:47 p.m., is more than evidence—it’s a window into a tragedy that has left a community reeling and a nation questioning how a child could vanish into silence. Mimi’s remains, hidden in a plastic tote behind an abandoned Clark Street property for over a year, tell a story of starvation, abuse, and a family’s chilling conspiracy to conceal her death. As officers storm the Tremont Street apartment, the footage reveals not just the mechanics of an arrest but the raw, chaotic unraveling of a household built on secrets.

This is the story of Mimi Torres-Garcia—a vibrant girl whose life was extinguished by those meant to protect her. Drawing from police bodycam footage, arrest warrants, autopsy reports, Department of Children and Families (DCF) records, and community voices, we reconstruct the harrowing details of her death, the chaotic arrests that followed, and the systemic failures that let her slip through the cracks. This 2,200-word investigation dives deep into the night of October 12, with an unflinching focus on the arrest of Karla Garcia, Mimi’s mother, and the chilling atmosphere that surrounded it. It’s a tale that demands not just outrage but a reckoning—a call to mend the broken safety nets that failed a child whose laughter once lit up New Britain’s streets.

A Childhood Stolen: Mimi’s Early Years

Jacqueline “Mimi” Torres-Garcia was born in January 2013 in New Britain, a city of hard-working immigrant families and hidden struggles. Her mother, Karla Garcia, was just 17, already entangled in the juvenile justice system and residing in a detention center at the time of Mimi’s birth. From the start, Mimi’s life was marked by instability. Placed in the custody of her paternal grandmother, who became legal guardian for Mimi and her younger sibling, the infant girl grew up shielded from her parents’ turbulent lives. Karla and Mimi’s father, who were never married, maintained regular visits, but the arrangement was fragile.

The Connecticut Department of Children and Families (DCF) opened its first case file on the family in April 2014, prompted by concerns over Mimi’s younger sibling. Over the next two years, DCF provided counseling, parenting classes, and home visits, closing the case in 2016 with notes that the children appeared “safe.” Further investigations in 2017 and 2021, sparked by anonymous tips about potential neglect, ended similarly—insufficient evidence, no action taken.

Mimi, however, was a beacon of joy. At school, she was known for her infectious smile and love for drawing fantastical creatures, earning the nickname “Mimi” from friends and teachers. Enrolled in New Britain’s Consolidated School District from kindergarten through fifth grade, she was a regular at class plays and recess games. Medical records through May 2024 showed a healthy 85-pound girl with no red flags. But by June 2024, a family court decision shifted her world: Karla won sole custody, a move DCF endorsed after interviews deemed her fit.

That summer, Mimi vanished from public view. On June 10, 2024, her father saw her at her fifth-grade graduation—the last time anyone outside the family would 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 the perfect cover.

Descent into Horror: The Abuse in Farmington

In the family’s Farmington townhouse, Mimi’s life became a nightmare. Arrest warrants reveal a campaign of deliberate cruelty: for two weeks in September 2024, Mimi was zip-tied to furniture, beaten, and starved as punishment for trivial missteps—spilled milk or forgotten chores. Karla later 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 joined in, using belts and fists. Jackelyn Garcia, Mimi’s aunt, was complicit, either restraining the girl or ignoring her pleas.

The autopsy, released November 2025 by Chief State Medical Examiner Dr. James Gill, confirmed the horror: cause of death, “fatal child abuse with starvation”; manner, homicide. Mimi’s remains, weighing just 27 pounds due to severe malnutrition, showed no blunt force fractures but bore marks of chronic trauma—ligature scars, healed rib stress fractures, and dental erosion from hunger-induced vomiting. She was a shadow of the girl from her last doctor’s visit four months earlier.

Why? Court records hint at Karla’s financial strain and volatile relationship with Nanita. Jackelyn, paroled in 2023 after nearly killing her own infant daughter in 2020, brought a history of violence. X posts from locals reflect the shock: “How do you starve your own kid? This family was a ticking time bomb,” one user wrote, sharing arrest footage clips.

DCF’s last contact was in January 2025, after Mimi’s death. A complaint about her sibling prompted a video call where Karla presented a girl claiming to be Mimi—a lie, as forensics place her death in fall 2024. DCF closed the case in March 2025, noting “no concerns.”

The Cover-Up: A Year of Lies

After Mimi’s death, the family didn’t mourn—they hid her. Her body, wrapped in trash bags and doused with chemicals, was stored in the Farmington basement. When Karla, Nanita, and Mimi’s sibling moved to Tremont Street in New Britain in March 2025, the tote came along, its foul odor forcing them to stay in hotels or with friends. Karla posted carefree selfies online, Nanita worked odd jobs, and Jackelyn visited for “family dinners.”

Mimi’s father, suspicious, filed a missing person report in late 2024, but Karla’s claims of out-of-state visits stalled inquiries. The younger sibling, now in foster care, later spoke of “the bad room” where Mimi “disappeared.”

The facade cracked 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. A 911 call followed, and police swarmed the scene.

The Arrest: Chaos on Tremont Street

The bodycam footage from October 12, 2025, captures the arrests with visceral intensity. At 8:47 p.m., officers arrive at Karla’s Tremont Street apartment, a crowd of 20-30 neighbors already gathering, drawn by rumors of Mimi’s remains. The air is thick with tension—shouts, banging, and threats from the crowd, some claiming to have chased Karla earlier that day.

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 calm but firm. Before she can respond, officers guide her to the porch. “Step out here. Step right up,” one says, snapping handcuffs on her wrists. Karla remains silent, her eyes darting to the crowd, where shouts of “Monster!” and “Where’s Mimi?” pierce the night. She mutters, “Can you grab my phone? It’s in the room,” a mundane request amid the chaos. Officers comply, retrieving the device 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. Officers locate her quickly. “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 in a desperate plea. “We’ll explain,” the officer replies, cuffs clicking shut. She demands answers: “What am I being charged with?” An officer’s response is blunt: “Your niece was starved to death, and her body was kept in a tote.”

The footage captures the sisters’ fleeting glances—panic, not surprise—before they’re escorted to separate squad cars. Outside, the crowd surges, banging on police car windows, some attempting to break them to reach Karla. An officer later tells booking staff, “I was just trying to get her out of there because they were trying to get to her.” Karla, in the booking area, claims she was chased by “people with guns,” insisting she “didn’t do nothing.” When asked about her children, she hesitates, exhaling deeply before saying her oldest is “12,” a lie that betrays 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,” unaware police had already found Mimi’s remains.

Earlier that day, October 8, Karla had sought refuge at the New Britain Police Department, claiming she was being pursued. Bodycam from that night shows her entering the station at 10 p.m., an officer noting, “It’s safer here.” She wasn’t arrested then, only questioned, as police were still piecing together the case. The October 12 raid, however, 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 was arrested after a brief struggle, bodycam showing him bloodied and shouting, “I didn’t do that to that girl, bro!”

Charges and Courtroom Stakes

The indictments are severe. Karla faces murder with special circumstances, conspiracy, tampering with evidence, and cruelty to a person under 19—held on a $10 million bond. Jackelyn is charged with unlawful restraint, child cruelty, reckless endangerment, and risk of injury—$2 million bond, parole revoked. Nanita faces murder, conspiracy, tampering with evidence, and improper body disposal—$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 accused Nanita of beatings, he pointed to her starvation, and Jackelyn claimed ignorance. Forensic evidence—DNA, chemical traces, and the tote—ties them together.

A Community’s Fury and Systemic Failures

New Britain is shattered. Vigils illuminate Clark Street, teddy bears piling up where Mimi’s remains were found. “Mimi’s Law,” a push for mandatory homeschooling oversight, gains momentum, with Rep. Liz Linehan vowing reform. DCF faces scrutiny for missing red flags, with Commissioner Joette Katz defending closures as “evidence-based.” Critics cite a pattern: schools, silenced by homeschool withdrawals, are critical sentinels. On X, #JusticeForMimi trends, with users demanding, “Homeschooling shouldn’t be a shield for abuse.”

Mimi’s father clutches her graduation photo: “She was my light.” Her sibling, in foster care, draws “big sister angels.” As the bodycam fades—squad cars vanishing into the night—Mimi’s story lingers as a call to action. Will her death spark change, or fade into headlines? For a girl who deserved dances, not darkness, we owe vigilance.