Home / Crime and Justice / Horrific Abuse Uncovered: 11-Year-Old Starved to Death, Body Hidden for Over a Year
Horrific Abuse Uncovered: 11-Year-Old Starved to Death, Body Hidden for Over a Year
14 Nov
Summary
- 11-year-old Jacqueline "Mimi" Torres-Garcia starved to death, body found in plastic bin
- Abuse included restraint with zip ties, cover-up attempt by impersonating her on video call
- Karla Garcia, mother, and two others arrested on charges including murder and cruelty
On November 14, 2025, disturbing details surfaced about the tragic death of 11-year-old Jacqueline "Mimi" Torres-Garcia in Connecticut. According to police, the young girl was not given food for two weeks leading up to her death in September 2024 and had often been restrained with zip ties. Her remains were found last month inside a plastic bin that had been dumped at an abandoned house.
Karla Garcia, Jacqueline's mother, has been arrested and charged with murder and cruelty to a child, along with her ex-boyfriend, Jonatan Nanita, and her sister, Jackelyn Garcia. Authorities allege that Karla Garcia and Nanita stopped feeding the girl and that all three defendants mistreated her. The chief medical examiner's office has ruled Jacqueline's death as "fatal child abuse with starvation."
The case has sparked outrage, with officials describing the girl's suffering as unimaginable. Investigators also revealed that a few months after Jacqueline's death, another child impersonated her during a video call with the state's child welfare agency, in an apparent attempt to cover up the tragedy. The Department of Children and Families is now facing scrutiny over its handling of the case and the state's homeschooling laws.
